Difference between revisions of "FedCom Civil War"
 
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{{Otheruses|the fictional event|the sourcebook on the subject|FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)}}
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{{Otheruses|the fictional event|the sourcebook on it|FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)}}
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The '''Federated Commonwealth Civil War''' (otherwise known as the '''FedCom Civil War''', or simply FCCW for short) was one the most devastating wars to take place in the [[Inner Sphere]]. It lasted from [[3062]] until [[3067]] and destroyed hundreds of regiments from the former [[Federated Commonwealth]] states; the [[Federated Suns]] and [[Lyran Alliance]]. In addition, many mercenary units took part in the conflict, and even the [[Draconis Combine]] and [[Free Worlds League]] were dragged into it. Others factions such as the [[Capellan Confederation]] and [[Clan Jade Falcon]] took advantage of the situation to gain territory at the expense of the two warring states..
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| conflict = FedCom Civil War
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| partof = [[FedCom Civil War]] era
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| image =CivilWarEraLarge.png
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| caption =
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| date = 16 November [[Start date::3062]]
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| enddate = 20 April [[End date::3067]]
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| place =
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| planet =
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| faction1 = [[Allies (FCCW)|Allies]]
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| faction2 = [[Loyalist (FCCW)|Loyalists]]
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| commander1 = [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]
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| commander2 = [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]]
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| forces1=
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| forces2=
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| forces3 =
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| result = Katherine Steiner-Davion ousted from power
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| environment = Varied
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| conditions = Varied
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}}
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{{quote|''The last thing the Successor States need is a plague of Davions hungry for conquest!''}}
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{{quote|''Consider this though. Many sons could mean a division of the Federated Suns. You have seen it before. The destruction that comes when brother pits himself against brother can shred an empire that no outside force has ever been able to dent.''|Maximilian Liao and Justin Allard at Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner's wedding in 3028}}
  
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The very nature and scope of this conflict make it very difficult to properly cover the war. This was not a traditional war with waves and fronts. Instead, fighting tended to break out between units posted on the same world, often resulting producing no clear winner. In some cases, reinforcements were sent to help capture important worlds (as was the case with [[Tikonov]], [[Kathil]], and [[Dalkeith]]), only to find that the other side had done the same, creating "meat grinders" as neither side was able to secure an advantage for any length of time. In a few cases, military leaders like [[Victor Steiner-Davion]], [[Maria Esteban]] and [[Tancred Sandoval]] were able to assemble task forces, but these were usually employed to take a single objective, rather than create a military front. Even in areas where there were no line units, fighting still took place between militia units, though those events often went undocumented.
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The '''Federated Commonwealth Civil War''' (otherwise known as the '''FedCom Civil War''' or abbreviated '''FCCW''') was one of the most devastating wars to take place in the [[Inner Sphere]]. It lasted from [[3062]] until [[3067]] and destroyed hundreds of regiments from both of the former [[Federated Commonwealth]] states, namely the [[Federated Suns]] and [[Lyran Alliance]]. In addition to these two primary combatants, many others were also involved in the Civil War. The [[Draconis Combine]] and [[Free Worlds League]] were dragged into the fighting, the [[Capellan Confederation]] and [[Clan Jade Falcon]] took advantage of the situation to gain territory at the expense of the two warring states, and numerous mercenary units took part in the conflict on both sides.
  
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The very nature and scope of this conflict make it difficult to summarize. This was not a traditional war with waves and fronts. Rather, fighting tended to break out between garrisoned units assigned to the same world, often resulting in extended fighting with neither side emerging as the undisputed victor. In some cases, reinforcements were sent to help capture important worlds (as was the case with [[Tikonov]], [[Kathil]], and [[Dalkeith]]), only to find that the other side had done the same, creating "meat grinders" as neither side was able to secure an advantage for any length of time. In a few cases, military leaders like [[Victor Steiner-Davion]], [[Maria Esteban]], and [[Tancred Sandoval]] were able to assemble task forces from the few units that were not embroiled in the conflict, but these were usually employed to take a single objective rather than create a military front. Even in areas where there were no line units, fighting still took place between local militias, though these events often went undocumented.
  
 
==Combatants==
 
==Combatants==
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The main combatants were units who were loyal to either [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] or [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]]. Besides causing rifts in front line and militia units, the intelligence agencies of both states also underwent schisms.  
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The main combatants of the conflict were units loyal to either [[Victor Steiner-Davion]], known as [[Allies (FCCW)|Allies]] or to [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]], known as [[Loyalist (FCCW)|Loyalists]]. Besides causing rifts in frontline and militia units, the intelligence agencies of both states were also torn apart by internal conflicts.
  
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In addition, there were units and planets that supported neither faction, but used the fighting as an excuse to further their own goals, like the rebellion in the [[Isle of Skye]]. Furthermore, some units declared their neutrality in the conflict, but since this involved disobeying orders given by Katherine Steiner-Davion, they were often attacked by pro-Katherine units who viewed them as traitors. This group included the entire [[Capellan March]].
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Many units and planets did not support either faction, but used the fighting as an excuse to further their own goals, such as the rebellion in the [[Isle of Skye]]. Others simply declared their neutrality in the conflict, but since this action involved disobeying orders given by Katherine Steiner-Davion, they were often attacked by pro-Katherine groups who saw their lack of commitment as treasonous and eventually forced to declare themselves as Allies. One such neutral party was the entirety of the [[Capellan March]].
  
 
* Various mercenary units were drawn into this war and many were destroyed.
 
* Various mercenary units were drawn into this war and many were destroyed.
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* The [[Draconis Combine]] became involved in the FedCom Civil War when renegade [[Draconis March]] units launched attacks against them between [[3063]] and [[3065]].
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* The Draconis Combine became involved in the FedCom Civil War when renegade [[Draconis March]] units launched attacks against Kuritan territories between [[3063]] and [[3065]].
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* The [[Capellan Confederation]] used the war to its advantage by first allying with Victor and then surprisingly conquering [[Tikonov]] in [[3067]].
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* The Capellan Confederation used the war to its advantage by first allying with Victor and then betraying him by conquering [[Tikonov]] in [[3067]].
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* The [[Taurian Concordat]] destroyed a regiment of the [[Fighting Urukhai]] that entered its territory without permission in [[3065]]. The unit was fleeing the war at the time.
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* The [[Taurian Concordat]] destroyed a regiment of the [[Fighting Urukhai]] that entered its territory without permission while fleeing from the war in [[3065]].
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* The [[Free Worlds League]] almost was dragged into this war when it's mercenary-unit [[Kristen's Krushers]] was attacked by Lyran forces in [[3063]].
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* The [[Free Worlds League]] was almost dragged into the war when its mercenary unit [[Kristen's Krushers]] was attacked by Lyran forces in [[3063]].
 
* [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacked the Lyran Alliance in [[3064]] to test its troops against the supposedly battle-hardened Lyrans.
 
* [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacked the Lyran Alliance in [[3064]] to test its troops against the supposedly battle-hardened Lyrans.
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[[File:Fedcom Civil War 1 (Fedcom Civil War, Sourcebook).png|right|thumb]]
  
 
==Reasons for the War==
 
==Reasons for the War==
 
===Genesis===
 
===Genesis===
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The genesis of the war lies in the peace proposal Archon [[Katrina Steiner]] circulated to her fellow House lords in the mid-3020s. Only Prince [[Hanse Davion]] showed any interest, resulting in the Federated Commonwealth Alliance. That document came with a secret provision that betrothed Hanse to Archon-designate [[Melissa Steiner]], a union that would eventually produce a united nation in the person of their child. That child, [[Victor Steiner-Davion]], was born in [[3030]]. The two nations informally merged after Katrina's abdication in [[3039]], and their armed forces became more unified after the aborted [[War of 3039]].
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The origin of the FedCom Civil War lies in the peace proposal that Archon [[Katrina Steiner]] circulated to her fellow House lords in the mid-3020s. Only Prince [[Hanse Davion]] showed any interest, resulting in the Federated Commonwealth Alliance. This alliance came with a secret provision that betrothed Hanse to Archon-Designate [[Melissa Steiner]], a union that would eventually produce a united nation in the person of their child. That child, [[Victor Steiner-Davion]], was born in [[3030]]. The two nations informally merged after Katrina's abdication in [[3039]], and their armed forces became more unified after the aborted [[War of 3039]].
  
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Victor stood poised to take over both nations from his parents after their deaths, but his eldest sibling, [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]], schemed to take control. She had their mother Melissa assassinated in [[3055]], three years after their father's death, making Victor Archon-Prince of the [[Federated Commonwealth]]. She further manipulated events by playing up her Lyran nationalism, often leaving the "Davion" off of her surname, and began to refer to herself as "Katrina," after her maternal grandmother. This paid off for her after the [[Second Skye Revolt]], when Victor permanently moved his court to [[New Avalon]] and left Katherine as his regent on [[Tharkad]]. Katherine took advantage of the [[Operation Guerrero|Liao-Marik Invasion of 3057]] that sought to punish Victor for replacing [[Thomas Marik|Captain-General Marik]]'s son with a double by invoking Emergency War Powers and seceding the Lyran half from her brother's realm and recalling all traditionally Lyran units to within traditional borders. In doing so, she gave Marik his objective, so he ceased offensive operations. This situation led to the creation of the [[Chaos March]] and forever sundered the Federated Commonwealth. Katherine called her new nation the [[Lyran Alliance]], because she claimed her brother had sullied the term "Commonwealth".
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Victor, as the eldest child, stood poised to take over both nations from his parents after their deaths, but his next eldest sibling, [[Katherine Steiner-Davion|Katherine]], schemed to take control. It was she who had had their mother Melissa assassinated in [[3055]], three years after their father's death, making Victor Archon-Prince of the [[Federated Commonwealth]]. She further manipulated events by playing up her Lyran nationalism, often leaving the "Davion" off of her surname, and took to referring to herself as "Katrina," after her maternal grandmother. These small actions paid dividends after the [[Second Skye Revolt]], when Victor permanently moved his court to [[New Avalon]], leaving Katherine as his regent on [[Tharkad]]. Katherine took advantage of the [[Operation Guerrero|Liao-Marik Invasion of 3057]] by invoking Emergency War Powers and seceding the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth from her brother's realm and recalling all traditionally Lyran units to within traditional borders. In doing so she gave Marik his objective, causing him to end his offensive. This situation led to the creation of the [[Chaos March]] and forever sundered the Federated Commonwealth. Katherine called her new nation the [[Lyran Alliance]], as she claimed that her brother had forever sullied the term "Commonwealth."
  
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Victor made no moves to reclaim his territory, so, when he prosecuted the reborn [[Star League]]'s war against [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]], he left his rump Commonwealth open to Katherine. She manipulated their little sister [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion|Yvonne]] into giving her the regency of the Commonwealth. When Victor returned from [[Clan]] space in [[3060]], he came back to the [[Inner Sphere]] a leader without a nation. Though Victor did not want to lead a civil war against his sister, events forced his hand.  
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Victor initially made no moves to reclaim his territory. As a result, when he prosecuted the reborn [[Star League]]'s war against [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]], he left the Commonwealth open to Katherine. She manipulated their younger sister [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion|Yvonne]] into giving her the regency of the Commonwealth. When Victor returned from [[Clan]] space in [[3060]], he came back to the [[Inner Sphere]] a leader without a nation. At the time, Victor refused offers of support to reclaim his throne and instead succeeded [[Anastasius Focht]] as the [[Precentor Martial of ComStar]]. He used the role to vote against Katherine's attempt to become the First Lord of the Star League in [[3061]], leading to her losing the election but otherwise made no attempt to move against her. Regardless, the nature of the Katherine's assumption of power and Victor's return had the effect of slowly polarizing the populace in the Federated Commonwealth.
  
 
===Ignition===
 
===Ignition===
 
Katherine had an unscrupulous style of government. This led to small battles on various worlds for three main reasons:
 
Katherine had an unscrupulous style of government. This led to small battles on various worlds for three main reasons:
  
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When a local political leader was deemed dissenting or disloyal, Katherine punished his or her whole planet with economic problems, such as rerouting shipments of luxury goods. This led to civil unrest, sometimes against the political leaders of the respective planets and sometimes against inner or outer enemies, or even herself.
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*When a local political leader was deemed dissenting or disloyal, Katherine punished his or her whole planet with economic sanctions, such as rerouting shipments of luxury goods. This led to civil unrest, sometimes against the political leaders of the respective planets and sometimes against inner or outer enemies, or even herself.
  
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Katherine also regularly bypassed the military chain of command and gave direct orders to units, creating confusion and encouraging cronyism. Additionally her orders were often so vague, that the commanding officers knew what she wanted, but all the blame would be put on them if anything went wrong. These units were used to restore order on the aforementioned rebellious planets and to secure planets with important installations. One such planet was [[Kathil]] with its shipyards. Two chains of command collided: Sharp words were traded and each side considered the other as traitors. In the end, open warfare was inevitable.
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*Katherine also regularly bypassed the military chain of command and gave direct orders to units, creating confusion and encouraging cronyism. Additionally her orders were often so vague that the commanding officers only partially understood what she desired. As a result, should anything go wrong they would inevitably be blamed for the failure. These units were used to restore order on the aforementioned rebellious planets and to secure worlds with important installations. One such planet was [[Kathil]], with its shipyards being the primary objective. The two chains of command collided, sharp words were traded, and each side considered the other as traitors. In the end, open warfare was inevitable.
  
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The third reason was her favoring of Lyran interests. Although Katherine was head of both houses and states, she was supposed to be neutral between the cultures and populations. However she openly favored Lyran interests and military units. This led to a silent dissatisfaction and sometimes demonstrations. When local police and military units tried to contain the problem, it went worse. One such example is [[Thorin]], where [[Archer Christifori]]'s sister wrote newspaper articles about this unfair behavior. She was accidentally shot and when her killer used his political connections to the Lyran military to avoid prison, Archer started his rebellion.
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*The third reason was Katherine's preferential treatment of Lyran interests. Despite being the head of both houses and states, she purported to be neutral between the cultures and populations. However she openly favored Lyran interests and military units. This often led to silent dissatisfaction and sometimes outright demonstrations. When local police and military units tried to contain the problems, they inevitably became far worse. One such example is [[Thorin]], where [[Archer Christifori]]'s sister wrote newspaper articles about this unfair behavior. She was accidentally shot and when her killer used his political connections to the Lyran military to avoid prison, Archer started his rebellion.
  
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All these were isolated events, but like an avalanche, the battles infested other planets and other minds.
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All of these events occurred in isolation, but like an avalanche the battles infested other planets and other minds.
  
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Victor viewed the scattered conflicts as a direct result of his sister's lies and manipulations and was confident that she would be dethroned one day. [[Arthur Steiner-Davion]] was apparently assassinated, and Victor openly blamed Katherine for his death. Laying aside his new post as [[Precentor Martial]], Victor jumped into the fracas. The leaders of the various rebellions immediately accepted him as an ally or even as their commander.
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Victor viewed the scattered conflicts as a direct result of his sister's lies and manipulations and was confident that she would be dethroned one day. [[Arthur Steiner-Davion]] was apparently assassinated, and Victor openly blamed Katherine for his death. Laying aside his new post as [[Precentor Martial of ComStar|Precentor Martial]], Victor jumped directly into the conflict. The leaders of the various rebellions immediately accepted him as an ally or even as their commander.
  
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==History==
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==The First Sparks==
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In retrospect, since the first moment Katherine seceded the Alliance from the Commonwealth, the war became inevitable. The majority of the old Federated Suns population and its nobility never forgave or forgot her actions. Katherine's inclination for her Steiner side almost erased her Davion half in the eyes of the people. Her constant manipulation and marginalization of the military that served under Victor's flag further degraded her support among the people of the Federated Suns. Some nobles, most notably [[George Hasek (31st c.)|George Hasek]] and [[Eric Dresari]] from [[Kentares IV]], never accepted her as Archon-Princess. The first spark of the war started on the Game World [[Solaris]], and the second, [[Kathil]].
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===Solaris Riots===
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{{seealso|Illusions of Victory}}
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Solaris is, in many ways, a mirror of the Inner Sphere, and what happens outside reflects inside, so it is not surprising that the war started there.
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The ComStar garrison on the planet had been transferred away on Katherine's orders, most likely because she believed it was loyal to her brother. The tensions on the planet between the Lyran and Federated Suns stadiums grew louder and louder. The fight between stables, each loyal to one side or the other, sometimes ended in brawls and even deaths. The hatred between the two sides grew daily, often leading to flashes of violence in the streets.
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On August 15, 3062, the fight transformed into an open war. The two factions' quasi-champions, [[Michael Searcy]] from Davion and [[Victor Vandergriff]] from Steiner, fought their championship match in the Steiner Stadium. During the bout saboteurs breached the arena walls and their battle spilled out into the streets. Soon the other factions, Liao, Marik, and Combine, joined the fighting as well. In a matter of hours half of the city was a battlefield. Other conflicts boiled over as well, such as the feud between a group of [[Smoke Jaguar]] gladiators and the Draconis Combine for the annihilation of their Clan. Katherine attempted to contain the situation, sending the [[32nd Lyran Guards]] to act as peacekeepers, but this operation failed miserably. Her forces were defeated by the Davion loyalists and their commanding officer was killed. It was not until Searcy and Vandergriff resumed their duel in the Steiner Stadium, ending in their apparent mutual annihilation (Michael later was found to have survived) that the fighting began to dissipate. Though war was not officially declared until months later, it may be said the riots of Solaris were the first battle of the war.
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===Kathil===
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{{seealso|Flashpoint (novel)}}
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[[Kathil]], the system renowned for having the best shipyards in the Federated Commonwealth, was the place where the second spark ignited. Katherine understood the crucial importance of the war fleet, and WarShips were almost exclusively built in this system. The new ''[[Avalon]]'' class of ships was in production, and as Kathil was part of the [[Capellan March]] (a territory under the command of [[George Hasek (31st c.)|George Hasek]], who didn't accept her as his ruler), she took measures to ensure the control of the new WarShips and the planet. One measure was to assign at least one Lyran naval officer in every new WarShip, and another, to keep an extra "garrison" on the planet. This garrison, the [[Eighth FedCom RCT|Eight Regimental Combat Team]], received orders from her to stay on the planet, ignoring direct orders by Duke Hasek to move to another system. The situation was aggravated when the leader of the Eighth, [[General]] Weintraub ignored direct orders from the [[Duke of Kathil]], [[Petyr VanLees]]. Frustrated, Duke Hasek bought back the [[First Capellan Dragoons]] regiment his father had sold. Fighting erupted upon their arrival in-system. The materially inferior forces of the local Kathil Militia, with a cadre of [[NAIS]], managed to defeat the 8th RCT and secured Kathil for Duke Hasek, and{{m}}indirectly{{m}}for Victor Davion. Some hopes arose that this battle would signal the end of the conflict, but they were thwarted: shortly after, upon the assassination of his brother Arthur, Victor Davion ignited the real war.
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===Kentares===
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Kentares IV, the site of the infamous Kentares Massacre, was another of the early battlefields and sources of the war's ignition. Eric Dresari, its duke, was one of the strongest opponents to Katherine. He publicly called her a despot and usurper, refusing to acknowledge her as his first Prince. The reaction of Katherine, who probably feared the popularity of Eric, was swift. She sent to Kentares a combat command of the [[Fifth Donegal Guards]] under the command of Lord [[Marcus Roland]], to garrison Kentares, ordering him to suppress the anti-Steiner movement by "any means are necessary". And Roland, a brutal, ambitious man, did just that. As the protests against Steiner occupation grew, he ordered his forces to kill hundreds of the protestors, and later assault the Ducal palace, capturing the Dresari family and executing them all. But their victory was short-lived: Eric's brother and son, [[Peter Dresari]] and [[Ian Dresari]] returned to Kentares and began a guerrilla campaign, ultimately defeating the Steiner forces and retaking the planet. This campaign is shown in the apocryphal game [[MechWarrior 4: Vengeance]].
  
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==History==
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==The Civil War==
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[[File:Fedcom Civil War 2 (Fedcom Civil War, Sourcebook).png|right|thumb]]
 
=== Early Stages: 3062-3063 ===
 
=== Early Stages: 3062-3063 ===
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Upon hearing of his brother's death, Prince Victor gathered his loyal forces on the world of [[Mogyorod]] and immediately drafted up a plan to take the key infrastructure of the Commonwealth intact. He jumped from Mogyorod to the planet [[Newtown Square]], where he was almost killed by the Lyran troops until rogue [[ComGuard]] forces loyal to Prince Victor from his position of Precentor Martial landed on the planet. Victor allowed the Lyran forces (commanded by his cousin [[Adam Steiner]]) to retreat. With the new troops in hand, Prince Victor moved against the planet of [[Coventry]], which was one of the greatest production sites for military supplies and 'Mechs in the whole Lyran Alliance. Additionally the duke of Coventry was a critic of Katherine and had to go underground to evade prison. In a few weeks of low-key fighting, Victor's forces captured the planet and its factories intact, which he used to refit his weary personal units.
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Upon hearing of his brother's death, Prince Victor gathered his loyal forces on the world of [[Mogyorod]] and immediately drafted up a plan to take the key infrastructure of the Commonwealth intact. He jumped from Mogyorod to the planet [[Newtown Square]], where he was almost killed by the Lyran troops until rogue [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] forces loyal to Prince Victor in his position as Precentor Martial landed on the planet. Victor allowed the Lyran forces (commanded by his cousin [[Adam Steiner]]) to retreat. With the new troops in hand, Prince Victor moved against the planet of [[Coventry]], one of the greatest production sites for military supplies and 'Mechs in the entire Lyran Alliance. Additionally the Duke of Coventry was a vocal critic of Katherine who was forced underground in order to evade capture and imprisonment. After a few weeks of limited fighting, Victor's forces captured the planet and its factories intact, which he used to refit his weary personal units.
  
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Coinciding with Victor's march on Coventry was the breakout of major rebellions on the planets [[Muphrid]] and [[Thorin]] in the Lyran Alliance. Sparked by the accidental shooting of the sister of one [[Archer Christifori]], the Thorin militia revolted and began a guerrilla campaign to dislodge the garrisoning regiment (which proved to be eventually victorious). Prince Victor offered Christifori's troops status as regular troops, and refit many of Christifori's worn out 'Mechs. The newly-promoted General Christifori, his ranks swelled to two regiments, began a campaign of liberation against planetary rulers accused of cracking down on Davion supporters all across the Alliance. This was noticed by [[LAAF]] High Command, however, and a plan was drafted to destroy Christifori's unit.  
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Coinciding with Victor's march on Coventry was the breakout of major rebellions on the planets [[Muphrid]] and Thorin in the Lyran Alliance. Sparked by the accidental shooting of the sister of [[Archer Christifori]], the Thorin militia revolted and conducted a successful guerrilla campaign that dislodged the garrisoning regiment. Prince Victor offered Christifori's forces status as regular troops, and agreed to refit many of Christifori's worn-out 'Mechs. The newly promoted General Christifori, his ranks swelled to two regiments, began a campaign of liberation against planetary rulers accused of oppressing Davion supporters all across the Alliance. This was noticed by [[LAAF]] High Command, however, and a plan was drafted to destroy Christifori's unit.
  
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On the planet of [[Odessa]], the ruling Count was told to begin a program of cracking down on dissenters. It was hoped that Christfori would land on the planet and try to destroy the Lyran forces on-planet. Coinciding with the plan, the elite mercenary unit [[Snord's Irregulars]] was on-planet pending the signing of a new contract with the Lyran Alliance. A trap was planned to set the two sides against each other, which would fill the Lyran goals of destroying Christifori and shaming the Irregulars into signing a new contract. Both units fought hard and suffered heavy losses, until evidence of the plan came up. The Irregulars and Christifori joined forces and destroyed the Lyran troops (another mercenary unit) on planet and captured Odessa. But the Irregulars still declined to sign a contract with Prince Victor. But Christifori came up with another idea, to keep Snord's Irregulars from rejoining the Alliance. He offered them a contract with [[ComStar]], guarding a planet right next to the border against [[Clan Jade Falcon]].
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On the planet of [[Odessa]], the ruling Count was told to begin a program of cracking down on dissenters. It was hoped that Christifori would land on the planet and try to destroy the Lyran forces on-planet. Coinciding with the plan, the elite mercenary unit [[Snord's Irregulars]] was on-planet pending the signing of a new contract with the Lyran Alliance. A trap was planned to set the two sides against each other, which would fulfil the Lyran goals of destroying Christifori and shaming the Irregulars into signing a new contract. Both units fought hard and suffered heavy losses until evidence of the plan was discovered. The Irregulars and Christifori joined forces and destroyed the other Lyran mercenaries on the planet and captured Odessa. The Irregulars still declined to sign a contract with Prince Victor, though Christifori proposed another idea to keep Snord's Irregulars from rejoining the Alliance. He offered them a contract with [[ComStar]], guarding a planet right next to the border against [[Clan Jade Falcon]].
  
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Realizing that her public opinion was dropping even amongst her normally loyal Lyran subjects, Archon Katherine quietly ordered the elimination of the popular, bizarre and extremely critical artist [[Reginald Starling]]. Reginald Starling was the artist-identity of [[Sven Newmark]]. Newmark was one of [[Ryan Steiner]]'s top aides and (except Katherine herself) the only living person who knew that Katherine ordered the assassination of her mother. Her [[Loki]] agents took Starling out, but he left traces for his lover (a secret agent working for Victor) that led her ultimately to proofs of Katherine's vile actions. But the evidence was not enough, so the agent came up with a plan to pretend that Reginald Starling was still alive, just underground. Victor hoped, this would make Katherine so nervous, that she would try to destroy further evidence, leading Victor's agents to it.
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Realizing that her public opinion was dropping even amongst her normally loyal Lyran subjects, Archon Katherine quietly ordered the elimination of the popular, bizarre and extremely critical artist [[Reginald Starling]]. Reginald Starling was the pseudonym of [[Sven Newmark]], one of [[Ryan Steiner|Ryan Steiner's]] former top aides and (except Katherine herself) the only living person who knew that Katherine had ordered the assassination of her mother. Her [[Loki (Intelligence agency)|Loki]] agents assassinated Starling, but he left evidence for his lover (a secret agent working for Victor) that ultimately led her to proof of Katherine's vile actions. However, this evidence was deemed not definitive enough to sway Katherine's supporters, so the agent came up with a plan to pretend that Reginald Starling was still alive and underground. Victor hoped this would cause a nervous Katherine to attempt to destroy further evidence, leading Victor's agents directly to it.
  
 
=== Middle Stages: 3064-3065 ===
 
=== Middle Stages: 3064-3065 ===
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The main theaters of the war were concentrated around the main manufacturing planets of both the Alliance and the Suns. The fighting on planets such as [[Kathil]] became veritable meat grinders for both sides, chewing up any units sent into the fray. Victor's conquering armies swept through the Lyran Alliance, taking many worlds from Katherine's followers. However, Victor's leadership was almost cut short by a near-defeat of his forces on [[Halfway]] which left his forces badly battered. General [[Maria Esteban]]'s combat force (formed by regular units and militias) had set up a trap.  
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The main theaters of the war were concentrated around the main manufacturing planets of both the Alliance and the Suns. The fighting on planets such as [[Kathil]] became veritable meat grinders for both sides, chewing up any units sent into the fray. Victor's conquering armies swept through the Lyran Alliance, taking many worlds from Katherine's followers. However, Victor's leadership was almost cut short by a near defeat of his forces on [[Halfway]] which left his forces badly battered. General [[Maria Esteban]]'s combat force (formed by regular units and militias) had set up a trap.
  
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Victor stepped back from the fighting, to join the next [[Whitting Conference]] on [[Marik]]. He successfully persuaded [[Thomas Marik]], head of the [[Free Worlds League]], that Katherine was a very dangerous person. Thomas allowed Victor's participation under one condition: That he would only speak out, if Katherine herself brought up the topic of the FedCom Civil War. [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] followed his agreement with Katherine and nominated her for the next Lord of the [[Star League]]. She indeed brought up the FedCom Civil War and tried to present herself as willing to negotiate with Victor, thus branding herself as a caring goodhearted diplomat and Victor as a warmonger. At this point Victor demanded to be heard and Thomas Marik granted his wish. Victor stated that Katherine had killed their mother, but that he had no hard evidence, just like Katherine had no hard evidence for her misrepresentations of Victor. Eventually Katherine was not elected but she had her revenge as well. She hired an assassin who killed [[Omi Kurita]], the love of Victor, to break his spirit. Upon hearing the news of his success, Victor had a nervous breakdown and suffered depressions for almost a year.
+
Victor stepped back from the fighting, to join the next [[Whitting Conference]] on [[Marik]]. He successfully persuaded [[Thomas Marik]], head of the [[Free Worlds League]], that Katherine was a very dangerous person. Thomas allowed Victor's participation under one condition: That he would only speak out, if Katherine herself brought up the topic of the FedCom Civil War. [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] followed his agreement with Katherine in an unexpected manner, as he abstained from the vote for the next Lord of the Star League. She indeed brought up the FedCom Civil War and tried to present herself as willing to negotiate with Victor, thus portraying herself as a caring goodhearted diplomat and Victor as a warmonger. At this point Victor demanded to be heard and Thomas Marik granted his wish. Victor stated that Katherine had killed their mother, but that he had no hard evidence, just like Katherine had no hard evidence for her misrepresentations of Victor. Eventually Katherine was not elected but she had her revenge as well. She hired an assassin who killed [[Omiko Kurita|Omi Kurita]], the love of Victor, to break his spirit. Upon hearing the news of his success, Victor had a nervous breakdown and suffered from depression for almost a year.
  
−
The offense of Victor's combat group (which had conquered the heavy industrialized planet [[Tikonov]] in a surprise attack) came to a standstill and they returned to [[Thorin]] and [[Muphrid]]. Only with the help of [[Kai Allard-Liao]] and [[Isis Marik]] was Victor convinced to refocus on the present. His combat group finally returned to Tikonov, reinforcing his troops.
+
The offensive of Victor's combat group (which had conquered the heavy industrialized planet [[Tikonov]] in a surprise attack) came to a standstill and they returned to [[Thorin]] and [[Muphrid]]. Only with the help of [[Kai Allard-Liao]] and [[Isis Marik]] was Victor convinced to refocus on the present. His combat group finally returned to Tikonov, reinforcing his troops.
  
−
On the Suns front, Archon Katherine was wary that Duke [[George Hasek]], son of the late [[Marshal of the Armies]] [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]], would someday challenge her rule. He tried to stay neutral between Victor and Katherine, though he secretly backed Victor, but that was not enough for her. She finally freed up enough forces from various conflicts to be able to send three regiments to the Capellan March capital of [[New Syrtis]]. The leader of the March rallied his troops however, and, in months of bitter fighting, drove off the invading units from his capital world. Reinforcements loyal to Victor arrived, but the enemy was already beaten. [[Ardan Sortek]] tried to persuade Hasek to support Victor, but he declined. George wanted to keep most of his troops within the Capellan March to guard against Capellan aggression.
+
On the Suns front, Archon Katherine was wary that Duke [[George Hasek (31st c.)|George Hasek]], son of the late [[Marshal of the Armies]] [[Morgan Hasek-Davion]], would someday challenge her rule. He tried to stay neutral between Victor and Katherine, though he secretly backed Victor, but that was not enough for her. She finally freed up enough forces from various conflicts to be able to send three regiments to the Capellan March capital of [[New Syrtis]]. The leader of the March rallied his troops however, and, in months of bitter fighting, drove off the invading units from his capital world. Reinforcements loyal to Victor arrived, but the enemy was already beaten. [[Ardan Sortek]] tried to persuade Hasek to support Victor, but he declined. George wanted to keep most of his troops within the Capellan March to guard against Capellan aggression.
  
 
=== The Jade Falcon Offensive ===
 
=== The Jade Falcon Offensive ===
−
In 3064, Khan [[Marthe Pryde]] wanted to test the newest generation of [[Clan Jade Falcon]]'s warriors against Lyran forces. She started a full-scale invasion with several [[Galaxy|Galaxies]] against heavily guarded planets along the whole border. Later it turned out that she also had wanted to open a new route to Terra, unguarded by the [[ComGuard]], by conquering the planet [[Rasalgethi]].
+
In 3064, Khan [[Marthe Pryde]] wanted to test the newest generation of [[Clan Jade Falcon]]'s warriors against Lyran forces. She started a full-scale invasion with several [[Galaxy|Galaxies]] against heavily guarded planets along the whole border. Later it turned out that she also had wanted to open a new route to Terra, unguarded by the Com Guards, by conquering the planet [[Rasalgethi]].
  
 
Both Loyalists and Allies combined their forces to turn back the Falcons.
 
Both Loyalists and Allies combined their forces to turn back the Falcons.
  
−
[[Sharon Byran]], the commander of the Melissia Theater, had a plan to lure the Clan forces into attacking [[Melissia]], where they should break on the fortress and the defending regiments "like a wave breaks on a shore." General [[Adam Steiner]] knew that this strategy had long been proved fatal against the Clans and hassled Sharon Byran until she allowed him to draw up a reserve plan. Khan Marthe Pryde attacked personally with the [[Turkina Keshik]], Delta Galaxy and Omega Galaxy. She crushed the defenders which only narrowly escaped from the planet. After this, major resistance in the Melissa Theater was broken. Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion sent a letter promoting Adam Steiner to the commander of the Melissa Theater, but still sent no reinforcements.
+
[[Sharon Bryan]], the commander of the Melissia Theater, had a plan to lure the Clan forces into attacking [[Melissia]], where they should break on the fortress and the defending regiments "like a wave breaks on a shore." General [[Adam Steiner]] knew that this strategy had long been proved fatal against the Clans and pestered Sharon Bryan until she allowed him to draw up a reserve plan. Khan Marthe Pryde attacked personally with the [[Turkina Keshik]], Delta Galaxy and Omega Galaxy. She crushed the defenders which only narrowly escaped from the planet. After this, major resistance in the Melissia Theater was broken. Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion sent a letter promoting Adam Steiner to the commander of the Melissia Theater, but still sent no reinforcements.
  
−
[[Archer Christifori]] united his forces with a reluctant Adam Steiner, who finally agreed to a two-fold plan. Rather then just defending Alliance planets, they would attack Jade Falcon planets, as well, forcing the Clan forces to retreat.  
+
[[Archer Christifori]] united his forces with a reluctant Adam Steiner, who finally agreed to a twofold plan. Rather than just defending Alliance planets, they would attack Jade Falcon planets as well, forcing the Clan forces to retreat.
  
−
Christifori and Steiner conquered several planets in the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, though they suffered heavy losses. On [[Twycross]], a planet which has seen a historic defeat, Christifori challenged the [[Falcon Guards]], one of the most prestigious units of Clan Jade Falcon. He wanted to humiliate them by beating them in honorable combat. However a lazy Tech wreaked doom on Clan Jade Falcon. A technical flaw caused [[Star Colonel]] [[Ravill Pryde]] to accidentally break [[zellbrigen]], leaving the Falcon Guards victim to the superior firepower of Christifori's troops.  
+
Christifori and Steiner conquered several planets in the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, though they suffered heavy losses. On [[Twycross]], a planet which had seen a historic defeat, Christifori challenged the [[Falcon Guards]], one of the most prestigious units of Clan Jade Falcon. He wanted to humiliate them by beating them in honorable combat. However a lazy Tech wreaked doom on Clan Jade Falcon. A technical flaw caused [[Star Colonel]] [[Ravill Pryde]] to accidentally break ''[[zellbrigen]]'', leaving the Falcon Guards victim to the superior firepower of Christifori's troops.
  
 
In the meantime, [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] kept reconquering worlds the Jade Falcons had deemed safe. They defeated the Jade Falcons in every instance, taking warriors and 'Mechs as ''[[isorla]]''. They even liberated Melissia for the Alliance.
 
In the meantime, [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] kept reconquering worlds the Jade Falcons had deemed safe. They defeated the Jade Falcons in every instance, taking warriors and 'Mechs as ''[[isorla]]''. They even liberated Melissia for the Alliance.
  
−
Several Jade Falcon units started their own [[Trial of Annihilation]], without approval by Khan Marthe Pryde, against Christifori's forces to wipe out their Clan's shame. This fighting waged for a few weeks until Marthe Pryde called a ceasefire. Both sides met on [[Blair Atholl]], where no clear victor was in sight. Adam Steiner negotiated a cease fire agreement with Marthe Pryde. Each side kept the planets it had conquered. As a result, the Jade Falcons controlled more worlds than they started out with, although they were in a strategically unsound position. Blair Atholl would remain jointly-held. As long as Adam Steiner would send troops to Blair Atholl as sparring-partners for the Jade Falcons, there would be no need for them to attack Lyran worlds.
+
Several Jade Falcon units started their own [[Trial of Annihilation]], without approval by Khan Marthe Pryde, against Christifori's forces to wipe out their Clan's shame. This fighting went on for a few weeks until Marthe Pryde called a ceasefire. Both sides met on [[Blair Atholl]], where no clear victor was in sight. Adam Steiner negotiated a ceasefire agreement with Marthe Pryde. Each side kept the planets it had conquered. As a result, the Jade Falcons controlled more worlds than they started out with, although they were in a strategically unsound position. Blair Atholl would remain jointly held. As long as Adam Steiner would send troops to Blair Atholl as sparring partners for the Jade Falcons, there would be no need for them to attack Lyran worlds.
  
−
Adam, now not only the commander of the Melissia Theater, but also a popular hero among its soldiers and populations, sent a strongly worded letter to Katherine Steiner-Davion. He declared that he was heavily disappointed that it took rebels and outlaws to save her nation because she did not send reinforcements. Due to her incompetence, he declared the Melissa Theater neutral in the conflict between her and her brother. For the rest of the civil war, units of neither side were allowed to stay in the Melissia Theater.
+
Adam, now not only the commander of the Melissia Theater, but also a popular hero among its soldiers and populations, sent a strongly worded letter to Katherine Steiner-Davion. He declared that he was heavily disappointed that it took rebels and outlaws to save her nation because she did not send reinforcements. Due to her incompetence, he declared the Melissia Theater neutral in the conflict between her and her brother. For the rest of the civil war, units of neither side were allowed to stay in the Melissia Theater.
  
 
===Late Stages: 3066-3067===
 
===Late Stages: 3066-3067===
−
By 3066, the war had become more of a battle of attrition across both of the afflicted realms, as Prince Victor's forces advanced against Archon Katherine's Lyran troops, and began to plan attacks on the respective capitals of both of the realms. It was decided that Victor himself would lead the attack on the Davion capital world of New Avalon, where Katherine and seven regiments of elite loyalist troops awaited the inevitable assault on the capital world. While Victor was tempted to just go for the kill with all of his available forces, he and his advisers realized that the conflict could not end until Nondi was defeated on Tharkad. They needed a political joker, someone trustworthy to Victor and to the Lyran people. Morgan Kell went to the desert planet [[Zaniah|Zaniah III]] in early 3067, where [[Peter Steiner-Davion]] was hiding, living among monks. He wanted to stay out of the cruel political games, that were so common in the Inner Sphere. But in the end, Morgan Kell persuaded Peter that he had to return, for the good of the Lyran people.
+
By 3066, the war had become more of a battle of attrition across both of the afflicted realms, as Prince Victor's forces advanced against Archon Katherine's Lyran troops, and began to plan attacks on the respective capitals of both of the realms. It was decided that Victor himself would lead the attack on the Davion capital world of New Avalon, where Katherine and seven regiments of elite loyalist troops awaited the inevitable assault on the capital world. While Victor was tempted to just go for the kill with all of his available forces, he and his advisers realized that the conflict could not end until Nondi Steiner was defeated on Tharkad. They needed a political figurehead, someone Victor could trust that would be accepted by the Lyran people. Morgan Kell went to the desert planet [[Zaniah|Zaniah III]] in early 3067, where [[Peter Steiner-Davion]] was hiding, living among monks. He wanted to stay out of the cruel political games that were so common in the Inner Sphere. But in the end, Morgan Kell persuaded Peter that he had to return for the good of the Lyran people.
 +
 
 +
In early 3067, the attack on New Avalon commenced, with Prince Victor leading a gigantic assault force to the planet. After a long and costly [[WarShip]] battle above the skies of New Avalon, Victor's forces emerged triumphant and landed on the planet, joining with a task force already there under the command of Field Marshal [[Tancred Sandoval]]. The fighting commenced immediately upon landing and continued for several grueling months against Katherine's elite troops. Victor's forces, although nearly losing at one point, were bolstered by veteran troops (the [[Davion Light Guards]] and others) brought to New Avalon by [[Ardan Sortek]]. Those reinforcements pushed back Katherine's forces until they finally reached the Davion Palace. Katherine waited too long to flee and in the end Victor's forces blocked all escape routes. Confident that she would find a way to talk herself out of this situation in any court, Katherine ordered the surrender of her forces through former Marshal of the Armies [[Jackson Davion]]. On April 20th, 3067, the Second Battle of New Avalon ended in victory for Allied forces under Victor Steiner-Davion.
  
−
In early 3067, the attack on New Avalon commenced, with Prince Victor leading a gigantic assault force to the planet. After a long and costly [[WarShip]] battle above the skies of New Avalon, Victor's forces emerged triumphant and landed on the planet, joining with a task force already there under the command of Field Marshal [[Tancred Sandoval]]. Immediately upon landing, the fighting commenced, and went on for several grueling months against Katherine's elite troops. Victor's forces, although nearly losing at one point, were bolstered by veteran troops ([[Davion Light Guards]] and others) brought to New Avalon by [[Ardan Sortek]]. Those reinforcements pushed back Katherine's forces until they finally reached the Davion Palace. Katherine waited too long to flee and in the end Victor's forces blocked all escape routes. Confident that she would find a way to talk herself out of this situation in any court, Katherine ordered the surrender of her forces through former Marshal of the Armies [[Jackson Davion]].  
+
Simultaneously, Prince Peter arrived on Tharkad along with troops representing the whole spectrum of the Lyran Alliance, including regular units, Skye loyalists, the [[Kell Hounds]], and forces of [[Clan Wolf in Exile]]. Peter not only battled for a planet, he tried to truly represent the Lyran Alliance to the population of Tharkad. Accordingly, the [[Avalon Hussars|Avalon Hussar]] regiment in his combat group never saw battle. They successfully pushed back Nondi Steiner's forces until they reached the Tharkad palace. There, in an urban area, Peter and Nondi Steiner met in a direct fight, where he killed her with a shot to the cockpit on April 2nd, 3067.
  
−
Simultaneously, Prince Peter arrived on Tharkad along with troops representing the whole spectrum of the Lyran Alliance, including regular units, Skye loyalists, the [[Kell Hounds]], and forces of [[Clan Wolf in Exile]]. Peter not only battled for a planet. He tried to truly represent the Lyran Alliance to the population of Tharkad. Accordingly, the [[Avalon Hussars|Avalon Hussar]] regiment in his combat group never saw battle. They successfully pushed back Nondi Steiner's forces until they reached the Tharkad palace. There, in an urban area, Peter and Nondi Steiner happened to end up in a direct fight, where he killed her with a shot to the cockpit. The FedCom Civil War was over.
+
With Katherine's surrender to Victor's forces on New Avalon, and Peter taking control of Tharkad, the FedCom Civil War had come to an end.
  
 
=== Aftermath ===
 
=== Aftermath ===
−
It was expected that Prince Victor would take over both of the realms again to rule as the Archon-Prince of the reunited Federated Commonwealth. Subsequently, it came as a great shock when Prince Victor abdicated the thrones of both of those realms, instead giving them to his siblings Peter and Yvonne to rule in his place.
+
It was expected that Prince Victor would take over both of the realms again to rule as the Archon-Prince of the reunited Federated Commonwealth. Subsequently, it came as a great shock when Prince Victor abdicated the thrones of both of those realms, instead giving them to his siblings Peter and Yvonne to rule in his place.
−
 
 
−
Peace and order were restored. Only minor battles remained, with commanders loyal to Katherine unwilling to give up.
 
−
 
 
−
Initially, Katherine was to be interred in a palatial prison under the wary eyes of the exiled Wolves. But then Khan [[Vlad Ward]] of [[Clan Wolf]] showed up on [[Arc-Royal]]. He demanded the extradition of Katherine to Clan Wolf, knowing that re-educating her into a Clan Warrior was the only way, she would finally understand his motivations. He threatened the assembled leaders with a renewed offensive (the Truce of Tukayyid having expired one month prior to the conference) unless he got his way. Victor complied, and handed over Katherine to Clan Wolf.
 
−
 
 
−
Victor was allowed to resume his role as the Precentor Martial of ComStar under the condition, that he would never again interfere with political decisions of the Inner Sphere.
 
−
 
 
−
 
 
−
==Timeline==
 
−
===3057===
 
−
* [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] segregates the former [[Lyran Commonwealth]] from the [[Federated Commonwealth]] and renames it to [[Lyran Alliance]]. [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] takes no action in order to prevent a military conflict.
 
−
 
 
−
===Unknown date===
 
−
* Katherine Steiner-Davion renames herself Katrina after her popular grandmother [[Katrina Steiner]] to appease the Lyrans.
 
−
 
 
−
===3060===
 
−
* Victor leads [[Operation Bulldog]] to [[Huntress]]. He leaves [[Yvonne Steiner-Davion]] as regent of the [[Federated Commonwealth]].
 
−
* October: Katherine Steiner-Davion tricks Yvonne into installing her as ruler of the Federated Commonwealth, after creating massive political pressure through manipulated polls and news. As Katherine Steiner-Davion already has a power base in the Lyran Alliance, she mainly resides on [[New Avalon]].
 
−
* Nationalistic tensions between Lyrans and FedSuns are growing rapidly. As a cultural symbol, the Federated Suns return into the hearts and minds of it's citizens.
 
−
 
 
−
===3061===
 
−
* March: Victor Steiner-Davion returns to the Inner Sphere and lays down all official posts and duties.
 
−
* November 5: Victor Steiner-Davion joins [[ComStar]] as [[Precentor Martial]].
 
−
* December 15: Katherine Steiner-Davion hires the [[Dancing Joker]] to assassinate [[Omi Kurita]].
 
−
* ''unknown date'': Duke [[Eric Dresari]] of [[Kentares IV]] voices strong opposition to Katherine Steiner-Davion and demands the return of Victor. She responds by garrisoning a Lyran unit on his planet.
 
−
* ''unknown date'': [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] orders the [[8th FedCom RCT]] to guard the [[McKenna shipyards]] of [[Yare Industries]] on [[Kathil]]. As she circumvented the regular military chain of command, this will lead to tension with the regular units on Kathil.
 
−
 
 
−
===3062===
 
−
* ''unknown date'': Revolts and mass-arrests on [[New Aragon]].
 
−
* February<!--sometime before 13th-->: Katherine Steiner-Davion orders the [[Davion Heavy Guards]] to leave [[New Avalon]] and guard the [[Galax]]-shipyards. There, they are left without [[JumpShip]]s.
 
−
* May 24: The First Circuit of ComStar orders Victor Steiner-Davion to inspect all ComGuards along the Lyran-[[Clan Jade Falcon|Jade Falcon]] border.
 
−
* On [[Solaris VII]], massive brawls between Lyran and FedSun hooligans appear regularly at duels.
 
−
* August 15: Due to sabotage, the Lyran-FedSun duel, [[Victor Vandergriff]] versus [[Michael Searcy]], leaves the arena. As nobody trusts the other, everybody tries to contain the fight, but nevertheless shootouts between stables of different nationality begin. This turns into open warfare in Solaris City.
 
−
* August 15: Katherine Steiner-Davion orders ComStar to pull their [[56th Division (ComStar)|56th Division]] from Solaris VII.
 
−
* August 19: One battalion of the [[32nd Lyran Guards]] arrives on Solaris VII as peacekeepers. They are decimated within hours.
 
−
* August 22: Victor Vandergriff and Michael Searcy finish their duel. It ends in a draw with the apparent death of both fighters. The [[17th Arcturan Guards]] arrive on Solaris VII as peacekeepers. Ceasefire is negotiated.
 
−
* September 30: One battalion of the [[15th Arcturan Guards]] is stationed on [[Thorin]], the two others on [[Muphrid]].
 
−
* October: The [[8th FedCom RCT]] resists direct orders from [[Field Marshal]] [[George Hasek]] to transfer from [[Kathil]] to [[Lee]]. It issues it's orders from Katherine Steiner-Davion and the inexperience of the [[Kathil CMM]] as an excuse. Duke [[Petyr VanLee]] orders the [[1st Capellan Dragoons]] to Kathil to bolster his loyal troops and counter the ''inexperience''-argument.
 
−
* November 3: The live-feed [[HPG]]-connection between [[Tharkad]] and [[New Avalon]] is completed. Katherine Steiner-Davion will use it in the following years as a powerful political tool for propaganda and speeches.
 
−
* November 9: The sister of [[Oberstleutnant]] [[Archer Christifori]], the CO of the [[Thorin FTM]], is accidentally shot by a Lyran officer.
 
−
* November 11: Major-General Weintraub from the 8th FedCom RCT sent a letter to Katherine Steiner-Davion, asking for clarification of his orders. She answers, that Kathil is a very important planet and that he should just follow his orders.<br> Duke VanLee arranges food shortages for the 8th FedCom RCT to annoy them. Weintraub reacts by deploying his troops to guard the Hall of Nobles against "rioters".
 
−
* November 16: The murderer of [[Andrea Christifori]] is acquitted, by using his political connections. Archer Christifori begins with preparations to drive the 15th Arcturan Guards off-planet. He is politically anti-Katherine, but not yet pro-Victor.<br> Duke VanLee orders the [[Kathil CMM]] to infiltrate their HQ and arrest all officers of the 8th FedCom RCT in a covert operation. The commandos fail and open warfare between the 8th FedCom RCT and the Kathil CMM breaks out.
 
−
* November 24: The Lyran government press secretary denounces, that there are any open revolts against the Archon's reign.<br> The 8th FedCom RCT attacks the [[2nd NAIS Training Cadre]] and conquers one of the microwave transmitters for the orbital docks.
 
−
* November 28: The ''[[Avalon]]''-class battlecruiser ''[[IFS Robert Davion]]'' is conquered by the Lyran members of the crew and infantry of the 8th FedCom RCT. After cautiously-worded encouragements by Katherine Steiner-Davion to solve this problem by violence, Lord Roland (the commander of the Lyran troops) executes the whole Dresari family on Kentares IV. Rumors about estimated 5000 dead or wounded civilians.
 
−
* December 5: [[Arthur Steiner-Davion]] is apparently assassinated with a bomb, in the midst of a speech. But he really is abducted. <!--''(Speculation: Maybe it was [[Word of Blake]])''--> [[James Sandoval]] suspects the [[Draconis Combine]] and orders a military counter-attack.<br> Four planets are engaged in an open rebellion against Katherine's rule. Five more might join after hearing of Arthur's death. Violent anti-Steiner-protests on [[Clinton]].<br> [[Oberst]] [[Felix Blücher]] of the 15th Arcturan Guards is attacked with a bomb, apparently by Davion-terrorists. Indeed it was planted by Lyran soldiers who want to escalate the situation. Blücher reacts with mass-arrests.
 
−
* December 7: The [[1st Capella Dragoons]] reach the orbit of Kathil. The [[Kathil CMM]] fights a hard battle against the 8th FedCom RCT to secure a safe landing for the dragoons, suffering heavy losses. The 8th FedCom looses a whole 'Mech battalion in the process. The [[IFS Robert Davion]] is destroyed by a complicated ram-maneuver by an [[Excalibur]]-class DropShip. The [[1st Capellan Dragoons]] immediately join the [[Kathil CMM]] and the [[2nd NAIS Training Cadre]] in their war against the [[8th FedCom RCT]]. Within days the tables have turned and the 8th FedCom is on the brink of defeat.
 
−
* December 8: Open rebellions on [[Kathil]], [[Benet III]], [[Kentares IV]], [[Demeter]] and [[Bromhead]], among few others.<br> Victor Steiner-Davion leaves ComStar. In a public speech, he declares Katherine unfit for rule and declares his intention to depose her.<br> Upon hearing this speech, mass-protests break out on Thorin. Archer Christifori mobilizes his militia and begins a guerilla-war against the 15th Arcturan Guards. Oberst Blücher reacts by declaring martial-law.
 
−
* December 10: Violent revolts on [[Muphrid]]. The battalions Beta and Gamma of the 15th Arcturan Guards and the [[Muphrid FTM]] are mobilized.<br> Confirmed revolts on [[Kathil]], [[New Aragon]], [[Coventry]], [[Nanking]], [[Kikuyu]], [[Demeter]], [[Algol]], [[Benet III]], [[Brockway]], [[Bromhead]], [[Fort Loudon]], [[Rasalgethi]] and [[Thorin]].
 
−
* December 15: The [[Thorin FTM]] allies with the other anti-Steiner rebels on Thorin.
 
−
* December 23: A message by [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] reaches Archer Christifori: He is awarded [[Colonel]] of the [[Federated Suns]] and his troops are renamed to [[1st Thorin Regiment]]/[[Archers Avengers]].
 
−
* December 29: [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] sends a to secret note to all Commanding Officers of the Lyran Alliance Forces, declaring war to Victors reinstated ''Federated Suns''. All private [[HPG]]-messages are furthermore declared illegal.
 
  
−
===3063===
+
Peace and order were restored. Only minor battles remained, with commanders loyal to Katherine unwilling to give up.
−
* ''unknown date'': The mercenaries [[Vanguard Legion]] are deployed to [[New Syrtis]] by Duke [[George Hasek]].
 
−
* January: Duke [[Frederick Bradford]] voices sympathies for Victor.
 
−
* January 6: The [[5th Alliance Guards]] are deploying patrols to counter the uprising and looting on [[Fort Loudon]].
 
−
* January 7: The pro-Victor [[1st Kestrel Grenadiers]] have conquered [[Nanking]].
 
−
* January 17: The [[Coventry CPM]] is detained and wiped out by the [[1st Coventry Jaegers]] and [[Kristen's Krushers]]. The media reports are manipulated, as if the militia was the aggressor.<br> [[Tancred Sandoval]] manages to found a task force by allying with the pro-Victor [[3rd Crucis Lancers]].
 
−
* January 22: The [[1st Thorin Regiment]] (their strength slightly at two companies) leaves Thorin and launches a surprise-attack on the Beta battalion of the 15th Arcturan Guards on [[Muphrid]]. They are able to salvage most of their military equipment.
 
−
* February: On [[Kikuyu]], the [[8th Deneb Light Cavalry]] declared itself neutral and is attacked by the pro-Katherine [[6th Donegal Guards]] and [[Storm's Metal Thunder]]. On [[Newtown Square]] the [[39th Avalon Hussars]] declare themselves for Victor. The [[7th Crucis Lancers]] stand on [[Winter]] and the [[15th Lyran Regulars]] on [[Hood IV]].
 
−
* February 2: The 1st Thorin Regiment attacks and defeats Alpha battalion of the 15th Arcturan Guards on Thorin. They capitulate and Oberst Felix Blücher negotiates the retreat of the remains of Alpha battalion and of Gamma battalion from Muphrid.
 
−
* February 3: The pro-Katherine [[11th Avalon Hussars]] are defeated on [[Brockway]], which is conquered by pro-victor forces.<br> The neutral [[Snord's Irregulars]] are deployed to [[Odessa]] to trick them into either fighting the [[1st Thorin Regiment]], or into signing a new contract with the [[Lyran Alliance]] that includes fighting Victor's forces.
 
−
* ''Conflicting data in the novels: From February 9th to 11th the [[1st Thorin Regiment]] has conquered [[Syrma]] and [[Milton]]. The conquest of [[Alcor]] started in mid-January.''
 
−
* February 11: The [[1st Thorin Regiment]] defeats the Alcor Home Guard and establishes a pro-victor resistance-cell on this planet. It receives orders by Victor Steiner-Davion to either negotiate a contract with Snord's Irregulars that brings them on victor's side, or at least ensure that they won't fight for Katherine. The pro-Victor [[LIC]] agent [[Anton Gramash]] is assigned to Archer Christifori's unit for this mission as intelligence coordinator.<br> [[Bryceland]] and [[Sirdar]] have been conquered by pro-Victor forces. Confirmed fights on [[Algol]], [[An Ting]], [[Alcyone]], [[Demeter]].
 
−
* March: The family Yalos, the rulers of the planet [[Mayetta]] in the [[Draconis March]], declares themselves in an opportunistic change pro-Victor. As they are attacked by the pro-Katherine [[Milligan DMM]] and [[Bremond DMM]], Kirk Yalos offers Tancred Sandoval control over the [[Mayetta DMM]] in exchange for military support.<br> The ''[[IFS Melissa Davion]]'' defects and begins it's search for Victor.
 
−
* April 15: The 1st Thorin Regiment reaches Odessa. To discredit [[Snord's Irregulars]] as unpatriotic and unreliable, Duke [[Nicholas Fisk]] orders the Odessa militia to attack the 1st Thorin Regiment on their own. They are decimated and driven back.
 
−
* April 16: [[Archer Christifori]] and [[Rhonda Snord]] are about to meet, but fall into a trap by the pro-Katherine [[Loki]] agent [[Erwin Vester]] and a 'Mech company of the mercenary unit [[Wolverton's Highlanders]].
 
−
* April 18th: The 1st Thorin Regiment and Snord's Irregulars suspect each other of treason and start to fight to exact revenge for their dead. Snord's Irregulars are driven back into their base and the 1st Thorin Regiment lays siege.
 
−
* April 24: On Newtown Square, Victor and the [[39th Avalon Hussars]] fight the pro-Katherine [[14th Donegal Guards]]. They win narrowly, when the [[Com Guards]] [[244th Division (ComStar)|244th Division]] arrive.<br> Tancred Sandoval prepares a political trick: He declares [[Woodbine]] neutral, knowing that this will prompt Katherine to attack. Afterward he can free the planet, securing the loyalty and political support of it's rulers.
 
−
* April 26: Snord's Irregulars are reduced to one understrength battalion. (The 1st Thorin has lower casualties, as they were able to salvage material.)
 
−
* April 29: The rest of the [[Wolverton's Highlanders]] regiment arrives on Odessa.
 
−
* May 1-3: The 1st Thorin finds evidence of the ploy to trap them in a no-win-situation. They present the evidence to Snord's Irregulars and declare a unilateral ceasefire.
 
−
* May 4: Wolverton's Highlanders attempt to destroy the weakened 1st Thorin. However the 1st Thorin and Snord's Irregulars join forces. Wolverton's Highlanders are wiped out. Thus, the 1st Thorin accidentally conquered Odessa.
 
−
* July: The [[7th Crucis Lancers]] declare themselves for Victor and conquer the heavily industrialized planet [[Inarcs]] in his name.<br> The [[1st Argyle Lancers]] suffered heavy losses against an unknown pro-Katherine unit and retreat to the neutral [[ARD]].<br> The [[1st Davion Guards]] rebelled against Katherine on [[New Avalon]]. They are fighting, among two other units, the [[3rd Robinson Rangers]].<br> The [[1st Ceti Hussars]] declared themselves for Victor, the [[3rd Lyran Regulars]] for Katherine. The 3rd Lyran Regulars receive orders to conquer Woodbine.<br> The ''[[LAS Angela Franks]]'' is renamed ''[[LAS Arthur Steiner-Davion]]'' and receives orders to defend [[Coventry]] against Victor.
 
−
* September: The IFS Melissa Davion finds Victor and he integrates it into his task force.<br> The [[Foreign Legion]] joins Victor's forces, consisting of foreigners who want to fight for Victor: one lance from [[Kingston's Legionnaires]], one company from the [[1st Regulan Hussars]], one battalion from various [[Draconis Combine|Draconian]] volunteers.
 
−
* October 9: The ''[[LAS Arthur Steiner-Davion]]'' disappears under unclear circumstances, after encountering a non-standard jumping signature.<br> The [[1st Crucis Lancers]] have joined Tancred Sandoval's task force. He absolutely wants to win the support of Duke [[Ferdinand Rein]] of Woodbine, so he plans to use the influence of his aunt [[Jessica Sandoval-Groell]] to postpone his fathers arrival until his position is strong enough.
 
−
* October: Victor's task force ([[39th Avalon Hussars]], 244th ComGuard Division, [[Foreign Legion]]) attacks Coventry. The [[1st Coventry Jaegers]] are outnumbered and driven into a dead-end landscape, where Victor wants to wear them down bit by bit.
 
−
* ''unknown date'': fights on [[Dahar IV]], [[Benet III]], [[Allerton]]
 
−
* November 28: The last remains of the [[3rd Lyran Regulars]] capitulate.
 
−
* December 12: The last survivors of the 1st Coventry Jaegers are defeated, when they try to break the siege.<br> James Sandoval reaches Woodbine. As he declares, that Woodbine is only one world among many that he has to care about, Duke Ferdinand Rein sides with Tancred Sandoval.
 
−
* December 20: The [[1st Davion Guards]] are defeated and wiped out by the [[3rd Robinson Rangers]], the [[10th Deneb Light Cavalry]] and the [[New Avalon Crucis March Militia|New Avalon militia]]. Propaganda depicts them as traitors. Some of them are executed before even being court-martialed. They are striked from the official unit-list.
 
  
−
===3064===
+
Initially, Katherine was to be interred in a palatial prison under the wary eyes of the exiled Wolves. But then Khan [[Vlad Ward]] of [[Clan Wolf]] showed up on [[Arc-Royal]]. He demanded the extradition of Katherine to Clan Wolf, knowing that reeducating her as a Clan Warrior was the only way she would finally understand his motivations. He threatened the assembled leaders with a renewed offensive (the Truce of Tukayyid having expired one month prior to the conference) unless he got his way. Victor complied, and handed over Katherine to Clan Wolf.
−
* February: Victor's task force ([[39th Avalon Hussars]], [[244th Division (ComStar)|244th ComGuard Division]], [[Foreign Legion]]) tries to conquer [[Alarion]]. They prepare for a huge battle, but General [[Maria Esteban]] has withdrawn the defenders, creating her own task force for a counter-attack. Alarion is conquered without a fight, but proves to be useless for Victor: The only valuable installation are the shipyards and Victor's task force has neither the resources nor the time to use them. The 39th Avalon Hussars are left as a garrison to secure them nevertheless.
 
−
* March: Victor's task force is on the way to the [[Skye]] Theater. He wants to reinforce it and schedules a rendezvous on [[York]] with the [[6th Crucis Lancers]] and [[17th Skye Rangers]]. But Maria Esteban is on his heels: She manipulates the 17th Skye Rangers to return to Skye instead.
 
−
* March 6: Katherine Steiner-Davion broadcasts a fake press conference (actually no journalists are present) to the whole [[Lyran Alliance]] and [[Federated Commonwealth]]. She states that the war has tuned down and that she hopes, that he will soon be over, for the sake of the common good.
 
−
* March 13: Victor's troops (6th Crucis, 244th Com Guard, Foreign Legion and the ''[[Avalon]]''-class ''Melissa Steiner-Davion'') are resting on York and prepare to launch a new offensive, when they are attacked by Maria Esteban's task force ([[11th Arcturan Guards]], [[1st Alarion Jaegers]], [[Alarion APM]], [[Carlisle APM]] and two ''[[Fox]]''-class corvettes). Victor's forces are outnumbered and their only chance is a hasty withdrawal to [[Halfway]].
 
−
* March 15: [[Omi Kurita]] is assassinated by a trap, set up by [[Dancing Joker]]. She dies with Victor's name on her lips. [[Theodore Kurita]] orders the immediate halt to all travels and interstellar communications crossing the border of the [[Draconis Combine]]. The Dancing Joker saw this coming and stays on [[Luthien]] for the next few years with a false identity.
 
−
* May: [[Clan Jade Falcon]] attacks the [[Lyran Alliance]]:<br> On [[Blue Hole]] they attacked and almost annihilated the [[3rd Alliance Guards]]. On [[Kikuyu]] they attack the [[6th Donegal Guards]]. On [[Newton Square]] [[Adam Steiner]]'s [[14th Donegal Guards]] repel the Jade Falcons and leave the planet afterward. [[Kookens Pleasure Pit]] and [[Ballynure]] are attacked as well.<br> The Jade Falcons attack along the whole border: [[Delta Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Delta Galaxy]] and [[Omega Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Omega Galaxy]] attack the [[Melissia Theater]], [[Rho Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Rho Galaxy]] attacks the [[Arc-Royal Defense Cordon]] and [[Lambda Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Lambda Galaxy]] attacks the [[Pandora-Theater]].<br> To bleed the Jade Falcons out, [[Marshal]] [[Sharon Byran]] orders all her troops to [[Melissia]] to lure the Jade Falcons in a final battle.
 
−
* May 14: The 244th Com Guard Division destroys the [[Halfway Militia]] and conquers Halfway.
 
−
* May 23: Victor sets up a strategic conference in an empty brothel on Halfway with the commanders of his task force, [[Morgan Kell]],  [[Khan]] [[Phelan Kell]], General [[Caradoc Trevana]] and [[Archer Christifori]]. (Nobody would suspect them there.) The [[23rd Arcturan Guards]] are on the way to reinforce Victor's task force.<br> Victor and Katherine receive intelligence, that [[Clan Jade Falcon]] has attacked the Lyran Alliance.<br> Katherine Steiner-Davion asks [[Comstar]] to activate the [[ComGuards]], but Precentor Martial [[Gavin Dow]] refuses: [[Clan Wolf]] and [[Clan Ghost Bear]] are still a threat. Katherine decides to counter the Jade Falcons by shuffling the troops already in the region. She explicitly leaves the [[Arc-Royal Defense Cordon]] out of any plannings: Morgan Kell's domain, his problems.<br> Victor Steiner-Davion set's up a two-pronged task force to repel the Jade Falcons: [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] will keep the Jade Falcons busy within the Lyran territory. Meanwhile [[Archer Christifori]]'s task force will unite with pro-Katherine Lyran units and attack the Jade Falcon occupation zone. This is [[Operation Audacity]].
 
−
* June: On [[Blue Hole]] [[Storm's Metal Thunder]] and the [[8th Deneb Light Cavalry]] are still fighting the Jade Falcons. Sharon Byran orders half of the 6th Donegal Guards to [[Melissia]], the other half to Blue Hole.<br> The Jade Falcon's [[Lambda Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Lambda Galaxy]] attacks [[Graceland]]: The [[22nd Provisional Garrison Cluster (Clan Jade Falcon)|22nd Cluster]] wipes out the [[11th Donegal Guards]] but a single company, which integrates itself into the local ComGuards. The [[74th Battle (Clan Jade Falcon)|74th Battle Cluster]] attacks the the [[388th Division (ComStar)|388th ComGuard Division]].
 
−
* June 11: [[Maria Esteban]]'s task force ([[11th Arcturan Guards]], [[1st Alarion Jaegers]], [[Alarion APM]], [[Carlisle APM]], half-a-dozen smaller militias like the [[Timbuktu TTM]] and one ''[[Fox]]''-warship) attacks Halfway. They are encountered by only the aerospace [[Wing]]s of the [[6th Crucis Lancers]], who retreat as well after dealing enough damage. Maria Esteban's units are forced to stay on Halfway and repair their [[DropShip]]s.
 
−
* June 15: The [[14th Donegal Guards]] arrive on Melissia, joining the [[9th Lyran Regulars]] and the remains of the [[3rd Alliance Guards]]. Parts of the [[6th Donegal Guards]] are on the way as well.<br> [[Archer Christifori]]'s task force assembles in the ARD: The 2nd and 3rd regiment of [[Archer's Avengers]] are joined by the [[2nd Crucis Lancers]]. The 1st Regiment is on the way to [[Graceland]] to help the [[ComGuards]], before joining the task force as well.<br> [[Khan]] [[Marthe Pryde]] is on [[Blue Hole]] to inspect the battle-action. A garrison cluster, a freeborn-unit, is fighting guerillas from the 3rd Alliance Guards and local militia. A stray artillery shell explodes near Marthe Pryde, but she remains unhurt. She is impressed by the skill and cunning of the Inner Sphere warriors.
 
−
* June 23: The aerospace units of the 6th Crucis reunite with Victor's task force on [[Clinton]]<br> Victor has pulled a political trick, by asking [[Robert Kelswa-Steiner]] for permission to attack [[Hesperus II]]. But he never had this in mind and knew that this information would trickle to Katherine, prompting her to rearrange her forces to repel this attack. Instead, Victor's task force temporarily breaks up into the single units, rapidly attacking a dozen unimportant planets to further irritate the Lyrans.<br>The pro-Victor [[5th Syrtis Fusiliers]] have conquered [[Axton]].
 
−
* July: The [[Foreign Legion]] (including Victor and his personal staff) attacks [[Dar-es-Salaam]] and destroys the [[Dar-es-Salaam Cavanaugh II Theater Militia|Dar-es-Salaam Militia]].<br> The [[23rd Arcturan Guards]] attack [[Aristotle]], [[Gallery]] and [[Thuban]].<br> The [[6th Crucis Lancers]] attack [[Solihul]], [[Drosendorf]] and [[Gypsum]].<br> The 244th Com Guard Division attacks [[Eidsfoss]], [[Ciotat]] and [[Furillo]].<br> Afterwards, they reunite and hide on the pro-Victor planet [[Thorin]].<br> The [[6th Donegal Guards]] are forced to retreat from [[Kikuyu]] to [[Melissia]] reuniting with the rest of their unit. The Jade falcons attack [[Storm's Metal Thunder]] so hard, that the unit has to retreat from [[Kikuyu]]. Only two Mechs and the non-combatants make it into orbit, the rest of the unit is eradicated. The [[8th Deneb Light Cavalry]] is also under attack by the Jade Falcons. The [[3rd Alliance Guards]] retreat from [[Blue Hole]] to Melissia as well. They are reduced to two Battalions.
 
−
* July 6: The [[1st Thorin Regiment]] arrives on Graceland and the 74th Battle Cluster allows them to take over the batchall of the ComGuards. They defeat the 74th Battle by luring it into a trap and taking out its [[Star Colonel]], so he declares defeat. Christifori takes some of their Mechs and pilots as [[Isorla]]. Lamda Galaxy retreats into the occupation zone.
 
−
* July 30: [[Rho Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Rho Galaxy]] attacks [[Dustball]] in the ARD, because of the presence of the [[4th Wolf Guards (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|4th Wolf Guards]]. The [[7th Falcon Regulars (Clan Jade Falcon)|7th Falcon Regulars]] and the [[Jade Falcon Eyrie (Clan Jade Falcon)|Jade Falcon Eyrie]] win the bidding. The rest of the galaxy stays in orbit and waits. [[Khan]] [[Phelan Kell]] leads the battle himself. His strategy is to bind the whole galaxy by prolonging the battle and wearing the Jade Falcons down bit by bit.<br> The 388th ComGuard Division arrives on Dustball to aid the Wolves.
 
−
* August: The ComGuards destroy 2 Trinaries of Rho Galaxy in a narrow pass. This turns the tide in the battle. Rho Galaxy is defeated and leaves Dustball.
 
−
* August 7: The remains of Storm's Metal Thunder reach [[Melissia]]. A Jade Falcon task force materializes in the Melissia system at a [[Pirate Jump Point]]: the [[Turkina Keshik]], [[Delta Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Delta Galaxy]] and [[Omega Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Omega Galaxy]]. [[Khan]] [[Marthe Pryde]] will personally lead her troops into combat. The Jade Falcons gained knowledge of that pirate jump point through their [[Clan Watch|Watch]].
 
−
* August 12: The understrength [[15th Arcturan Guards]] (reinforced by the [[Gacrux FTM]] and [[Neerabup MTM]]) arrive in the Melissia system at a pirate jump point, even closer than the Jade Falcons. General Adam Steiner orders them to guard the landing zone, to keep it secure for an emergency evacuation.
 
−
* August 15: The Jade Falcons reach Melissia. They consist of the [[Turkina Keshik]], [[Delta Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Delta Galaxy]] and [[Omega Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Omega Galaxy]]. The defenders are commanded by [[Marshall]] [[Sharon Byran]] and consist of: [[9th Lyran Regulars]], [[3rd Alliance Guards]] (~2 battalions), [[6th Donegal Guards]] (~1 regiment), [[14th Donegal Guards]] (~1 regiment), [[15th Arcturan Guards]] (reinforced regiment) and some militia-companies. Her plan is to lure the Jade Falcons into the artillery and mine-fields around her HQ-bunker built inside a mountain. General Adam Steiner is not confident, that her plan will work and secretly contacts the [[Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces#Reserve Corps|Reserve Corps]] to deploy three dropships with supplies and a jump-ready jumpship to the [[Chapultepec]]-system.<br> Archer Christifori's task force assembles in the [[Adelaide]]-system: the three combined-arms regiments of the [[Archer's Avengers]], the understrength [[2nd Crucis Lancers]] and the [[20th Arcturan Guards]]. Their intelligence-unit is lead by the pro-Victor [[LIC]]-agent [[Anton Gramash]]. He has a small number of operatives at his command. [[ComStar]]'s [[ROM]] is providing him with information and there is also a limited cooperation with the [[Clan Watch|Watch]] of [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]]. The COs of the task force guess, that the survivors of Melissia will retreat to Chapultepec, so they will try to meet them there.<br> The [[Grave Walkers]] had to retreat from [[Kookens Pleasure Pit]], after suffering 60% losses. The battle on [[Dustball]] (Exile-Wolves and ComGuards vs Jade Falcons) is still raging. On [[Koniz]], [[Barber's Marauder IIs]] fought to the last man and were annihilated. On [[Crimond]], the fate of the [[1st Argyle Lancers]] is unknown. (The were reduced to two companies during the civil war.) As the Jade Falcons won't leave Crimond, the Argyle Lancers are probably setting up a guerilla war. On [[Ballynure]], the [[Fighting Urukhai]] try to hold out, but it's unknown how long they can keep on fighting.<br> [[Blue Hole]], [[Kikuyu]], and [[Newton Square]] are lost to the Jade Falcons. The Jade Falcons have troops in the undefended [[Clermont]]-system, but don't conquer it.
 
−
* August 16: After two days of heavy fighting on Melissia, the 3rd Alliance Guards and 6th Donegal Guards are almost wiped out. The Jade Falcons refuse to fall for Byran's trap and instead concentrate on eliminating the Lyran units. Finally, the Jade Falcons use a [[Broadsword]] to drop [[Elemental]]s right onto the bunker. The Lyran HQ is wiped out within minutes. General Adam Steiner activates the 15th Arcturan Guards and orders all troops to evacuate from Melissia.
 
−
* August 25: The [[Golden Keshik (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|Golden Keshik]] and [[1st Wolf Legion (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|1st Wolf Legion]] attack the [[7th Talon (Clan Jade Falcon)|7th Talon]] on [[Blue Hole]].<br> General Steiners task force reaches [[Chapultepec]]. The [[9th Lyran Regulars]], [[14th Donegal Guards]] and [[15th Arcturan Guards]] have suffered heavy losses. The [[3rd Alliance Guards]] and [[6th Donegal Guards]] are reduced to about one company each. Somehow the two last Mechs of Storm's Metal Thunder, piloted by the Rivenberg-brothers, have survived. [[Omega Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Omega Galaxy]] is on their heels and is dripping into the Chapultepec-system cluster by cluster. Archer Christifori's task force reaches the jump point of the Chapultepec-system, but they are a few days behind the Jade Falcons.<br> Via a priority-message from [[Nondi Steiner]], [[Adam Steiner]] is promoted commander of the Melissia-theater. He almost goes mad, when hears that [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] still won't send any reinforcements.
 
−
* August 26: Katherine Steiner presents a new memorial on [[New Avalon]] to remind of the "betrayal" of the [[1st Davion Guards]]. In a press conference she states her hope, that the quiet last weeks were a sign of an end to this war.<br> After an [[HPG]]-conversation, [[Thomas Marik]] agrees to serve as Victor's reputation at the Whitting Conference, so he would have a right to claim speech-time.
 
−
* August 29: A single cluster of Omega Galaxy is fighting Adam Steiner's troops. The rest of Omega Galaxy is only days away. Archer Christifori's task force lands and forces them to retreat via dropship to another continent.<br> Archer Christifori explains his and Victor's plan to Adam Steiner, but he is reluctant. He only agrees after reading a personal letter from [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]: Victor asks him not to prejudge him from Katherine's propaganda. Victor states that he has sent reinforcements for the Lyran Alliance, and not played political games.
 
−
* August 30: The Jade Falcons are defeated on Blue Hole. Star Colonel Daniel Kyle is taken isorla.<br> Archer Christifori and Adam Steiner set up a plan to draw the attention from Clan Jade Falcon: They will both randomly attack planets in the occupation zone. Then Archer's task force will beat the [[Falcon Guards]] on [[Twycross]], hopefully enraging the Jade Falcons enough to disobey orders and follow Archer's units. Both task forces will reunite on [[Blackjack]] and try to hold out until the Jade Falcons stopped their offensive on the Lyran Alliance.<br> Anton Gramash captures an agent of the [[Clan Wolf]]-watch and hands him over to [[Phelan Kell]]. Phelan gives the agent a message: He invites [[Khan]] [[Vlad Ward]] to join his attack on [[Sudeten]], the capital of Clan Jade Falcon in the [[Inner Sphere]]. This is a trick, as Phelan has no intention to attack Sudeten. He knows that Vlad has two choices: Either he will warn Marthe Pryde, prompting the retreat of some of her forces, or he will attack the Jade Falcons, forcing them to retreat troops as well.
 
−
* August 31: The combined forces of Christifori and Adam Steiner leave Chapultepec.<br> Omega Galaxy is granted a pause to repair and re-equip its troops on Chapultepec. Khan Marthe Pryde orders to attack the [[ComGuards]] on [[Crimond]] and [[Rasalgethi]], to keep the Exile-Wolves busy. Furthermore, conquering Rasalgethi would allow Clan Jade Falcon to bypass the [[Free Rasalhague Republic]] and its ComGuards-defenders on its way to [[Terra]].
 
−
* September: [[Archer Christifori]] asks [[Phelan Kell]] to send the [[Blue Star Irregulars]] to garrison the Jade Falcon worlds the two task forces would conquer. The [[2nd Crucis Lancers]] are deployed to Adam Steiners task force to bolster it.
 
−
* October 3: Archer Christifori's task force (the three combined-arms regiments of [[Archer's Avengers]] and the [[20th Arcturan Guards]]) are about to attack [[Roadside]] and conquer the ammunition factory.<br> Adam Steiner's task force ([[14th Donegal Guards]], [[15th Arcturan Guards]], [[2nd Crucis Lancers]]) is already fighting the [[3rd Talon (Clan Jade Falcon)|3rd Talon Cluster]] on [[Black Earth]]. The [[9th Lyran Regulars]] have been integrated into the command-structure of the 14th Donegal, bringing them to a reinforced regiment. The virtually destroyed [[6th Donegal Guards]] and [[3rd Alliance Guards]] were maybe integrated into other units. The Jade Falcons will wage a guerilla war to drag the fighting.
 
−
* October 4: Christifori's task force defeats a solahma trinary of [[Rho Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Rho Galaxy]] on Roadside and conquers the planet. The ammunition-factory is accidently almost destroyed. One battalion is left as garrison.<br> Adam Steiner's task force realizes, that the Jade Falcons couldn't possibly have their base on the main continents.
 
−
* October 17: The main battle on [[Black Earth]] begins, as the Lyrans are attacking the Falcon base. The Lyrans are suprisingly reinforced by the [[1st Wolf Strike Grenadiers (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|1st Wolf Strike Grenadiers]].<br> Christifori's task force arrives in the [[Butler]] system where the ''[[Aegis]]''-battlecruiser ''[[CJF Black Talon]]'' is undergoing repairs in a ship-yard. The Lyrans cripple it with a massive fighter attack, using the experience of [[Commodore]] [[Lee Fullerton]]. Christifori sends a [[HPG]]-message to Phelan Kell: He asks him to send a boarding crew to salvage the battlecruiser, as none of his personnel has the necessary experience.
 
−
* October 26: Adam Steiner's task force attacks [[Malibu]], but the local government is unwilling to support them. (Steiner speculates that they are tired of war.) They fight against the [[8th Falcon Regulars (Clan Jade Falcon)|8th Falcon Regulars]] on the surface of an asteroid, over the control of the nadir recharge-station. The Jade Falcon Star Colonel retreats after a short and brutal fight.<br> The [[74th Battle (Clan Jade Falcon)|74th Battle Cluster]] is attacking [[Crimond]] and Phelan Kell is countering them. [[Anton Gramash]] informs Phelan Kell about the broader picture of the war. The [[39th Division (ComStar)|39th ComGuard Division]] is on the way to Crimond.<br> Jade Falcon forces are about to attack [[Rasalgethi]]. The defenders are [[Brion's Legion]] and the [[Rasalgethi PTM]].
 
−
* October 30: Christifori's task force is attacking [[Twycross]]. Their plan is to beat the single [[Falcon Guards]] trinary in a fair fight. But a lazy tech failed to repair the weapon-control circuits in [[Star Colonel]] [[Ravill Pryde]]'s ''[[Timber Wolf]]'', prompting him to accidently break zellbrigen. The Jade Falcons are overwhelmed with massive firepower. Christifori sends records of the Jade Falcons dishonorable defeat to Khan Marthe Pryde to challenge her to a reaction.
 
−
* November 1: Adam Steiner's task force attacks [[Hot Springs]], fighting the [[5th Battle (Clan Jade Falcon)|5th Battle Cluster]]. He awaits a short fight and a quick victory.
 
−
* November 3: Jade Falcons attack Twycross to exact revenge: the rest of the [[Falcon Guards]], the [[9th Talon (Clan Jade Falcon)|9th Talon]] and [[1st Falcon Hussars (Clan Jade Falcon)|1st Falcon Hussars]], the whole force being at least 12 Trinaries strong. Although outraged, they don't attack blindly: The Jade Falcons perform a combat-drop into a sand-storm, whereas their dropships still proceed their landing, faking a standard landing so the spherers will suspect the attack from the wrong direction. Indeed the Jade Falcons attack them from behind and a bloody battle ensues. Finally the Jade Falcons are beaten. Christifori sends the highest-ranking survivor [[Star Captain]] [[Diana Pryde]] back to Marthe Pryde with the message, that he is not finished yet. The 1st and 3rd regiment of Archer's Avengers suffered heavy losses, the 2nd regiment and 20th Arcturan Guards suffered minor losses.
 
−
* November 4: On the eve of the third [[Whitting Conference]], Duke [[George Hasek]] tries to talk to Katherine. He hoped, that they could together find a way to stop the fighting in the [[Capellan March]], which was essentially neutral in the FedCom Civil War. But Katherine is not in the mood to listen. She offers George Hasek to sit next to her during the Whitting Conference (to demonstrate his support for her side) and to talk about this issue later. He declines and angrily questions her loyalty to her own people. She reminds him, that his people would have to suffer for his decisions.
 
−
* November 6: [[Khan]] [[Marthe Pryde]] decides to halt her offensive to stop Christifori's task force. But she will leave troops on the conquered Lyran worlds as garrison.
 
−
* November 10: While everyone is looking at the Whitting Conference, Victor's task force surprisingly enter [[Federated Suns]] territory and attacks [[Tikonov]]. They save the remains of the pro-Victor [[1st NAIS Cadet Cadre]] and [[Valexa CMM]] and battle the pro-Katherine [[15th Deneb Light Cavalry]] and [[3rd Republican|3rd Republican Guards]].
 
−
* November 14: [[Precentor]] [[Gavin Dow]] gives [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] the information that [[Omi Kurita]] is dead.<br> At the eve of the election of the new [[First Lord]], Katherine tries to get the help of the Star League to end the rebellion of her "war-hungry" brother. Because of his deal with [[Thomas Marik]], [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] is allowed to counter this with his own arguments. In his speech, he clarifies that there had been numerous other times he could have started a rebellion against her rule, if he were indeed this war-hungry. Furthermore he openly accuses her of complicity in the murder of their mother. Finally he asks the politicians to remember the manipulations and back-room-politics they have witnessed. Do they really want such a person as their First Lady? Katherine suddenly looses the political support for the election.<br> Katherine informs Victor that his beloved Omi is dead, causing him a nervous breakdown.
 
−
* November 24: Khan Phelan Kell lands with the [[4th Wolf Guards (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|4th Wolf Guards]] (and maybe the [[Golden Keshik (Clan Wolf-in-Exile)|Golden Keshik]]) on [[Melissia]] and challenges [[Galaxy Commander]] Timur Malthus of [[Sigma Galaxy (Clan Jade Falcon)|Sigma Galaxy]]. The Jade Falcons answer with an unusually high bid.<br> On [[Hot Springs]] the 5th Battle Cluster is still dragging the fighting against Adam Steiner's task force.
 
−
* December: [[Snord's Irregulars]] join the defenders of [[Rasalgethi]].
 
−
* December 12: Archer Christifori's task force arrives in the [[Blackjack]] system. The 1st regiment of [[Archer's Avengers]] is understrength, the 2nd has minor losses, the 3rd is almost wiped out and [[20th Arcturan Guards]] are at 75% strength. The [[8th Provisional Garrison Cluster (Clan Jade Falcon)|8th Provisional Garrison Cluster]] is stationed on Blackjack. The [[4th Striker (Clan Jade Falcon)|4th Striker Cluster]] and the ''[[CJF White Talon]]'' intercept the task force in the Blackjack system. Both Jade Falcon units unite on Blackjack and immediately start smaller skirmishes against the spherers. <br> Adam Steiner decides abruptly to leave [[Hot Springs]] in the cover of a thunderstorm.<br> Phelan Kell defeats Sigma Galaxy. The 4th Wolf Guards had tricked the Jade Falcons by faking higher losses.
 
−
* December 16: a [[LIC]] agent of [[Anton Gramash]] informs Christifori that [[Clan Wolf-in-Exile]] has salvaged the ''[[CJF Black Talon]]'' and renamed it to ''[[CWiE Black Paw]]''. The Black Paw lures in the asteroid belt of the Blackjack system. The Jade Falcons of Blackjack are waiting for reinforcements before they start another major offensive.<br> The [[388th Division (ComStar)|388th ComGuard Division]] has attacked [[Blair Atholl]], fighting a provisional garrison cluster.
 
−
* December 19: The [[1st Falcon Hussars (Clan Jade Falcon)|1st Falcon Hussars]] have arrived in the Blackjack-system and are on the way to the planet.
 
−
* December 21: Archer contacts the ''CWiE Black Paw'' to start an orbital bombardement of the Jade Falcons. Immediately afterwards, the ''Black Paw'' is engaged by the ''[[CJF White Talon]]''. The ''White Talon'' is destroyed and the Black Paw suffers heavy damages. Adam Steiner's task force arrives in the Blackjack system.
 
−
* December 24 : Adam Steiner's task force ([[9th Lyran Regulars]], [[15th Arcturan Guards]], [[14th Donegal Guards]], [[2nd Crucis Lancers]]) save Christifori's task fore on the brink of defeat. They also suffer losses, especially the 9th Lyran Regulars. A jumpship with saKhan [[Samantha Clees]] arrives in the Blackjack-system. She invites Christifori to meet Khan [[Marthe Pryde]] on [[Blair Atholl]]. Christifori and Adam Steiner comply.
 
  
−
===3065===
+
Victor was allowed to resume his role as the Precentor Martial of ComStar, on the condition that he would never again interfere with political decisions of the Inner Sphere.
−
* ''unknown date'': In early 3065, Katherine Steiner-Davion deployed additional [[LAAF]] forces and mercenaries to the [[Skye Province]], to quell secessionist tendencies. Operatives of [[Lohengrin]], the [[Molehunters]] and [[Loki]] are deployed as well, to counter any uprising. In some systems all interstellar travel was shut down, to suppress informations about war-preparations of the Lyran Alliance.
 
−
* ''unknown date'': The pro-Victor [[17th Skye Rangers]] are defeated on [[Lost]].
 
−
* ''unknown date'': The pro-Katherine [[11th Avalon Hussars]] fight the [[Lexington Combat Group]] on [[Brockway]]. They suffer heavy losses and have to retreat to [[Ridgebrook]].
 
−
* January: The pro-Victor [[1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry]] arrive on [[Kathil]].<br> The rogue [[Draconis March]]-forces now only hold [[Proserpina]]. The [[Draconis Combine]] counter-invades the Draconis March and conquers [[Addicks]], [[Cassias]], [[Breed]] and [[Kasai]]. Cassias was almost defenseless, as the [[3rd Crucis Lancers]] had departed Cassias to support [[Tancred Sandoval]]. The [[24th Dieron Regulars]] destroyed the 8th Striker Regiment of the [[Fighting Urakhai]] on Addicks. The [[Davion Assault Guards]] split their forces between Addicks and [[Tigress]].<br> The [[10th Lyran Guards]] left [[Robinson]] and seized a [[JumpShip]] to meet with Victor on Tikonov.<br> Tancred Sandoval now controls most of the [[Woodbine PDZ]] and the [[LeBlanc PDZ]].
 
−
* January 8: The [[11th Arcturan Guards]] (having absorbed two militias to maintain their strength) and the ''[[Fox]]''-class ''[[LAS Katrina Steiner]]'' followed Victor's task force to Tikonov. the rest of [[Maria Esteban]]'s task force stays in the Lyran Alliance to cut off Victor's supply lines. (For unknown reasons, [[Word of Blake]] secretly warned Victor's forces of the arrival of the 11th Guards.)<br> Now the [[Foreign Legion]], [[23rd Arcturan Guards]], [[6th Crucis Lancers]], 244th ComGuard Division, [[1st NAIS Cadet Cadre]] and [[Valexa CMM]] fight the [[11th Arcturan Guards]], [[15th Deneb Light Cavalry]], [[3rd Republican|3rd Republican Guards]] and the movement [[Free Tikonov]]. Victor's ''[[IFS Melissa Davion]]'' stays at the nadir [[Jump Point]], while Esteban's ''LAS Katrina Steiner'' hides deeper in the solar-system. Katherine's forces are outnumbered, but they hold Tikonov's most important industries and have better access to supplies.<br> [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] is caught in a deep depression and keeps himself busy with military work, to avoid thinking about Omi. [[Morgan Kell]] has secretly taken over the everyday-work.
 
−
* January 28: The JumpShip of the 10th Lyran Guards is sabotaged and they are stuck in the [[Kentares IV|Kentares]] system.
 
−
* February: The [[388th Division (ComStar)|388th Division]] ist still defending [[Blair Atholl]] against the Jade Falcons. They are pushed back from continent to continent, but won't give up.
 
−
* February 16: The [[3rd Davion Guards]] fight Draconians on [[Cassias]].<br> The [[5th Davion Guards]] are destroyed on [[Kathil]].<br> As no further reinforcements are available to give Victor's offensive a new momentum, his commanders decide to leave Tikonov with him, to keep Tikonov from becoming a meatgrinder. The [[6th Crucis Lancers]], [[1st NAIS Cadet Cadre]] and [[Valexa CMM]] will stay. A final offensive is prepared to conquer Harcourt Industries to get a logistical advantage.
 
−
* February 21: The 244th ComGuard Division is reduced to about half a regiment: 15 'Mechs, about 20 tanks, some [[Battle Armor]] and infantry, some aerospace fighters and helicopters.<br> Victor's forces attack simultaneously on the ground and in space. In space, the inexperience of the pro-Katherine militia aerospace forces and the fire-power of the ''IFS Melissa Davion'' decide the battle. As soon as the battle in space has ended, Victor is extrected from Tikonov with a heavy escort of multiple DropShips and aerospace fighters. On the ground, sheer desperation drives Victor's forces to victory, when they are attacked by orbital fire. Most of Victor's units and the 11th Arcturan Guards suffer heavy losses.
 
−
* February 27th: [[Adam Steiner]], [[Archer Christifori]], [[Phelan Kell]] and [[Anton Gramash]] have reached [[Blair Atholl]]. [[Marthe Pryde]] is already there to inspect how her troops are faring against the ComGuards. Steiner and Christifori meet with Marthe Pryde and [[Diana Pryde]] to discuss a cease-fire. [[Clan Jade Falcon]] has conquered [[Rasalgethi]], [[Koniz]], [[Kookens Pleasure Pit]], [[Ballynure]], [[Chahar]], [[Kikuyu]], [[Chapultepec]], [[Medellin]], [[Barcelona]] and [[Newton Square]]. The Lyrans have conquered [[Black Earth]], [[Roadside]], [[Blackjack]], [[Butler]], [[Twycross]] and one [[jump point]] of the [[Malibu]]-system. Marthe Pryde refuses to exchange planets. Each side will keep, what it has conquered. [[Adam Steiner]] offers to exchange [[Twycross]], but she refuses. She states, that it's a world of shame for her Clan. Clan Jade Falcon will make no attempt to reconquer it. So, only one planet remains contested in this war: [[Blair Atholl]]. Adam Steiner has realized, that Marthe Pryde started the war mainly for the fighting itself. He offers her a deal: He will regularly send Lyran units to fight against the Jade Falcons, so they won't have to attack other planets to find an opponent. Marthe Pryde hesitates, but after thinking about it, she agrees.<br> Adam Steiner presents his future plans to Christifori and Phelan Kell: As [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]], the legal ruler, has not sent reinforcements to save her nation, but [[Victor Steiner-Davion]], the rebel, did, he will declare the [[Melissia Theater]] and it's forces neutral. All pro-Victor units are allowed to repair themself, but then they would have to leave.
 
−
* March: [[Adam Steiner]] is celebrated as a hero of the [[Lyran Alliance]].<br> [[Archer's Avengers]] have disappeared from public sight. The [[LIC]] speculates, that they are on the way to support Victor.
 
−
* March 15th: Adam Steiner sends a personal video-message to Katherine Steiner-Davion. He declares that he is not confident, that Katherine has the best for her nation in mind. Accordingly he officially declares the Melissia Theater neutral and independent from the rule of the Lyran Alliance. Katherine orders [[Marshall]] [[Nondi Steiner]] to arrest Adam, but she says, that there are simply no units available for this task. Furthermore, Adam Steiner would be too popular for such a move.
 
−
* April: The fighting on [[Kathil]] has come to a halt. The neutral [[2nd NAIS Training Cadre]] and [[Kathil CMM]] were destroyed first, then the pro-Katherine [[8th FedCom RCT]], then the neutral [[1st Capellan Dragoons]], then the [[8th Donegal Guards]], then the [[5th Davion Guards]], then the [[2nd Chisholm's Raiders]]. During al this fighting, the shipyards kept on working. The 2nd Chisholm's Raiders held out long enough to extract two ''[[Avalon]]''-class battlecruisers (the ''[[FCS Andrew Davion]]'' and the ''[[FCS Hanse Davion]]''). Finally, in April, the heavily damaged, neutral [[6th Syrtis Fusiliers]] and the pro-Victor [[1st Federated Suns Armored Cavalry]] stand on Kathil.
 
−
* April 9: The 244th ComGuard Division and the Foreign Legion stand on Thorin to protect Victor's residence. But he really is hidden in a luxurious manor on [[Muphrid]].
 
−
* April 16: [[Nondi Steiner]] orders the arrest of Duke [[Robert Kelswa-Steiner]] to prevent a rebellion of the [[Skye]] region in advance.
 
−
* April 25: The [[Gray Death Legion]] recieves orders to reinforce the defenders of [[Hesperus II]] and arrives there on Juny 14th.
 
−
* May: Rumors about a possible invasion of [[New Syrtis]] by pro-Katherine forces rise.
 
−
* June 4: Victor's forces control [[Alarion]], [[Bolan]], [[Coventry]] and [[Donegal]].
 
−
* June 15: The [[22nd Skye Rangers]] sneak into the Hesperus system in preparation of an invasion. First they sneak to [[Hesperus V]] and then [[Hesperus III]], where they hide and wait for the right time for a surprise attack on the space-port of Hesperus II.
 
−
* June 23: An aerospace patrol of the [[12th Hesperus militia]] (deployed on Hesperus III) finds the landed [[Dropship]]s of the 22nd Skye Rangers, but is destroyed before they can issue a warning.
 
−
* June 28: A task force of the Skye rebels arrives in the Hesperus-system: 2 ''[[Fox (WarShip)|Fox]]''-class corvettes (the ''[[Indefatigable]]'' and the ''[[Illustrious]]'') and the [[4th Skye Rangers]]. They are engaged by the loyalist ''[[Avalon]]''-class ''Simon Davion'', which destroys the ''Illustrious''. In return, the Simon Davion is conquered by boarding troops from the Indefatigueable. The 22nd Skye Rangers start from Hesperus III and reach Hesperus II later that day. They proceed with the alternative attack plan and attack the agricultural region of Hesperus II, to lure the defenders ([[Gray Death Legion]], [[15th Lyran Guards]], [[36th Lyran Guards]], [[Defiance Security Forces]]) away from the installation.
 
−
* June 30: The 4th and 22nd Skye Rangers start an irritating strategic game against the Gray Death Legion and the 15th Lyran Guards, slowly gaining ground, while the 36th Lyran Guards stay in the Maldon valley to defend its industry.
 
−
* July: [[Victor Steiner-Davion]] is being hidden on [[Muphrid]]. His only escort is a single bataillon of the [[23rd Arcturan Guards]], busy luring a regiment of Katrina-loyalists through the wilderness.<br>The 244th ComGuard Division and the [[Foreign Legion]] are on [[Thorin]] to pretend Victor's presence. They are fighting the [[11th Arcturan Guards]].
 
−
* July 1: The Skye-controlled ''Simon Davion'' destroys the [[HPG]] of Hesperus II via an orbital bombardement, seconds the defenders can call for reinforcements.
 
−
* July 18: The pro-Skye [[17th Skye Rangers]] and [[32nd Lyran Guards]] reach Hesperus II. The 17th Skye Rangers attack the 36th Lyran Guards, while the 32nd Lyran Guards reinforce the depleted 4th and 22nd Skye Rangers in their attack on [[Defiance Industries]]. The Gray Death Legion is wiped out, but in return, infantry from the 15th Lyran Guards captures the commander of the 32nd Lyran Guards. Defiance Industries have been successfuly defended, the Skye rebels are in disarray. Maybe the 36th Lyran Guards are dispatched to hunt them down.
 
−
* July 22: The [[Davion Light Guards]] depose their CO [[Major-General]] [[Jon Buckvold]] under dubious circumstances and court-martial him for (among others) dereliction of duty. Marshal [[Jessica Quarles]] takes over the command. This shifts the political direction of the Davion Light Guards from neutral to pro-Victor.<br> The [[Davion Light Guards]], [[8th Syrtis Fusiliers]], [[New Syrtis CMM]] and [[Vanguard Legion]] set up plans to defend New Syrtis against possible invaders. This includes the ''[[Covenant]]''-battlecruiser.
 
−
* August 23: [[Isis Marik]] lures Victor in a restaurant and confronts him on his feelings. As this is a public appearance, she has forced him to reenter the Civil War.
 
−
* August 25: A provisional regiment, created from the remains of pro-Katherine units, is dispatched to Hesperus II to bolster the defenders.
 
−
* September 20: [[Ardan Sortek]], an emissary for Victor, arrives on [[New Syrtis]]. He tries to persuade [[George Hasek]] to support Victor, but George Hasek refuses, as he thinks that Victor wages this war to become ruler himself.<br> A press spokesman on [[New Avalon]] issues a carefully-worded statement to denounce rumors, that a military strike on New Syrtis is planned.<br> Katherine orders her champion [[Simon Gallagher]] to prepare an invasion of [[New Syrtis]]. He offers three units, five if Katherine were willing to wait two more months. But she wants the attack to commence as fast as possible. Katherine orders the [[MI6]] to assassinate [[George Hasek]].
 
−
* October 7: A family-council deposes the turned-senile [[James Sandoval]] and installs [[Tancred Sandoval]] as the new Duke of [[Robinson]]. He voices his intent to help Victor with full force.<br> The Robinson-forces are down to holding [[Proserpina]]. The Draconian counter-attack has hit [[Cassias]], [[Breed]], [[Kasai]] and [[Addicks]].<br> The [[1st Robinson Rangers]] are badly damaged and unable to fight in the near future. The cadre of the Robinson military academy has been destroyed on [[Ashio]].
 
−
* October 31: A pro-Katherine task force, consisting of the [[4th Donegal Guards]], [[11th Avalon Hussars]], [[Ridgebrook CMM]] and [[Avalon]]-class [[FCS Hanse Davion]] arrives in the [[New Syrtis]] system.<br> An agent of [[MI6]] attempts to assassinate [[George Hasek]], but manages only to wound him heavily, before he is killed. George Hasek falls into a coma.<br> [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]] delivers a press-conference, claiming that George Hasek were a secessionist and wanted to establish his own nation and House under his dictatorial rule. She said that a task-force had arrived on New Syrtis to persuade him with a "peaceful demonstration of power" to give up his plans.<br> The ''[[Covenant]]'' and the ''[[FCS Hanse Davion]]'' face off in the orbit of New Syrtis. Both are destroyed, when the first attacks the later with a suicidal ram maneuver. This merciless, suicidal behaviour will set the tone for this whole conflict.<br> [[Major-General]] [[Victor Amelio]] from the 4th Donegal Guards tries to buy the [[Vanguard Legion]] with a new contract, right before the battles begin, but they reject.
 
−
* November 1: After long fighting, the pro-Katherine [[3rd Alliance Guards]] have finally destroyed the pro-Victor [[7th Crucis Lancers]], but that victory only came in, after the 7th Crucis Lancers had destroyed the [[9th Lyran Regulars]] (at an unknown date). [[Inarcs]] and its Mech-factories are reclaimed by Katherine.<br> The invaders of New Syrtis achieved great initial gains, as the defenders were demoralized. A turnaround comes as George Haseks awakes from his coma.<br> Central points in this war are [[Cavanaugh II]], [[Dalkeith]], [[Giausar]] and [[Marlette]], as each side has at least three units invested in these fightings.<br> The pro-Victor [[20th Arcturan Guards|20th]], [[23rd Arcturan Guards|23rd]] and [[25th Arcturan Guards]] have defeated the [[3rd Donegal Guards]] and conquered [[Cumbres]], but the 25th Arcturan Guards were destroyed in the process.
 
−
* November 9: [[Chancellor]] [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] issues a press release, denouncing the accusations the the [[Capellan Confederation]] was behind the attack on George Hasek and demands proofs and a public apology from House Steiner-Davion.<br> The invaders of [[New Syrtis]] have paralyzed most of it's industry, but the defenders keep harassing them.
 
−
* December 11: George Hasek returns to it's duties as CO of the defenders of New Syrtis. (He lost his left hand in the assassination attempt.) Counter-attack-plans to drive the invaders off New Syrtis are initiated.
 
−
* December 31: [[Demi-Precentor]] X Peter Fedt sends a secret note to [[Katherine Steiner-Davion]], assuring her, that the [[299th Division (ComStar)|299th Division]] (except for one Level-III unit) will support her in the defense of [[New Avalon]].<br> The [[11th Avalon Hussars]] singlehandedly try to neutralize the ''cavern'' (the military HQ of New Syrtis) by a parachute-surprise-attack of a company of ''[[Infiltrator Mk II]]'' [[Battle Armor]]s. To their surprise, they are awaited by a company of ''[[Cavalier]]'' battle armor. The ''Infiltrators'' are finally defeated after a gruesome battle.
 
  
−
===3066===
+
===Periphery Concerns===
−
* ''unknown date'': [[Lieutenant-General]] [[Maria Esteban]] has left the lyran forces and joined [[Free Skye]]. Her headquarter is on [[Freedom]].
+
One unintended side effect was the increased presence of raids by [[Nueva Castilian]] forces along the [[Lyran Alliance]] border.<ref>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 11</ref> The formation of the [[Fronc Reaches]] was also a result of the [[Taurian Concordat]]'s fear that the Federated Commonwealth would use a war with the Concordat to rejoin both halves of the Commonwealth.<ref>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', pp. 65–66</ref> Several FedSuns companies based in the [[Outworlds Alliance]] had to withdraw due to the confusion of the Civil War.<ref>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 71</ref> Despite this, many FedSuns companies continued to do business with the Alliance, stimulating that realm's economy.<ref>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 142</ref> At the same time the Alliance welcomed new immigrants who sought a peaceful existence after the chaos of the Civil War.<ref>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 149</ref> The [[Rim Collection]] also found its trade with the Lyran Alliance cut down by the activities of the Civil War as transport ships became rarer.<ref>''Handbook: Major Periphery States'', p. 175</ref>
−
* January 21: By two coordinated surprise attacks, units from the [[Vanguard Legion]] and the [[8th Syrtis Fusiliers]] attack the HQ of the [[11th Avalon Hussars]]. They capture or kill their entire command and leave the Hussars inoperable, as their chain of command is destroyed. The Hussars still have 70% of their initial strength.
 
−
* January 24: Victor arrives on [[Thorin]] with a lance of the [[1st St. Ives Lanciers]] under [[Kai Allard-Liao]]. He uses this situation to win a battle over the [[1st Alarion Jaegers]]. He tells the 244th Comguards that the [[10th Lyran Guards]] will replace them as his personal unit.
 
−
* January 25: The pro-Katherine [[19th Arcturan Guards]] and [[5th Donegal Guards]] are deployed to [[New Avalon]] to further bolster the defenders.
 
−
* February 12: Using the survivors of the 11th Avalon Hussars as a bait, the [[New Syrtis CMM]] is tricked into leaving their position and attacking them on their own. The New Syrtis CMM is almost wiped out entirely, when they are attacked by the Hussars, the [[4th Donegal Guards]] and several Aerospace [[Wing]]s.
 
−
* March: Maria Esteban's task force of Skye-separatists attack [[Hesperus II]] (again), but their chances are slim.
 
−
* March 12: The Draconis Combine destroys the [[8th Crucis Lanciers]] and reconquers [[Proserpina]].
 
−
* March 16: George Hasek is desperately looking for reinforcements, but none are available. He could call several militias, but they would end up as cannon-fodder. [[Ardan Sortek]] offers him Victor's help: He could ask the [[321st Division (ComStar)|321st Com Guard Division]] to come to New Syrtis as "peacekeepers". George Hasek rejects the offer, as he doesn't want to owe Victor a favor.
 
−
* March 22: [[Wernke-Talon]] and [[Marlette]] are practically conquered by Katrina forces. [[Cavanaugh II]], [[Dalkeith]], [[Tikonov]], [[Kathil]] are in a draw. The [[2nd Ceti Hussars]] are on [[Taygeta]]. Victor wants to talk them into helping [[George Hasek]] on [[New Syrtis]].<br>[[Tancred Sandoval]]'s task force fought on [[Tsamma]] and [[Meinrad]]. Right now they are fighting the [[1st Chisholm Raiders]] on [[Nueva Valencia]]. He will pick up the [[Davion Heavy Guards]] on [[Galax]].<br> The [[Davion Assault Guards]] freed [[Addicks]]. Tancred Sandoval negotiates peace with the Draconis Combine, giving up [[Breed]] and [[Kasai]].<br> Victor announces his plan to bring his whole task force to [[Federated Suns]]-territory, including dissolving his supply-network in lyran territory. [[Morgan Kell]] will stay and keep the Lyrans busy.
 
−
* April 1: The pro-Katherine [[21st Avalon Hussars]] destroy the pro-Victor [[20th Avalon Hussars]] on [[Wernke]], securing the Mech-factories.
 
−
* April 4: Tancred Sandoval's task-force has won on [[Nueva Valencia]]. [[Precentor Martial]] [[Gavin Dow]] tries to build friendly connections to Victor, in case Katrina won't win. [[ComStar]] delivers several messages from Victor and Yvonne to Tancred: Victor says, that he has started from [[Thorin]]. His targets are hidden in Yvonne's messages, but it's an easy guess that he will attack [[Tikonov]] and/or [[Kathil]]. Tancred plans to stage an initial attack on [[New Avalon]], even before Victor is ready, to keep the defenders from harassing Victor.
 
−
* April 26: The [[4th Donegal Guards]] and the [[Ridgebrook CMM]] have surrounced and laid siege to New Saso, the capital of New Syrtis. The defenders ([[Davion Light Guards]], [[8th Syrtis Fusiliers]], [[Vanguard Legion]]) suffer ammunition shortages.
 
−
* May 14: The pro-Katherine [[17th Avalon Hussars]] arrive on [[New Avalon]].
 
−
* May 16: The fighting on [[Cavanaugh II]] is over. The pro-Victor [[Penobscott CTM]] (destroyed in the fighting), [[2nd Crucis Lancers]] and [[182nd Division (ComStar)|182nd Com Guard Division]] have defeated the [[7th Lyran Regulars|7th]] and [[10th Lyran Regulars]]. A truce was negotiated by (pro-Victor) [[General]] [[Richard Steiner]]: They cease control of Cavanaugh II and may leave the planet with all their material.<br> The [[4th Donegal Guards]] attack New Saso and fighting ensues with the [[Vanguard Legion]] and the [[8th Syrtis Fusiliers]]. The Vanguard Legion takes the command-lance of the 4th Donegal Guards as prisoners (not knowing who they are). They begin executing them, when members of the 8th Syrtis Fusiliers arrive. [[Grayson Addison]] challenges [[Chad Dean]] to a duel over this barbaric behaviour and defeats and wounds him. Major General [[Victor Amelio]] from the 4th Donegal Guards is so shocked by these events, that he declares the capitulation of the 4th Donegal Guards and the Ridgebrook CMM. The Davion Light Guards, 8th Syrtis Fusiliers and Vanguard Legion each suffered approximately 50% losses. Of the invaders, only the 4th Donegal Guards leave New Syrtis as a unit.
 
−
* May 24: The [[2nd Ceti Hussars]] arrive on New Syrtis to save their Duke, after securing their planet for Victor's cause.
 
−
* May 28: The fighting in the whole former Federated Commonwealth is cooling down. There are two main reasons: There are simply not enough units left for much of a war. And second, Victor and Katherine are amassing troops for the final battle. For example, Katherine has so far assembled 9 unit, most of them [[RCT]]s.
 
−
* May 29: Duke George Hasek announces, that he will not support Victor's fight against Katherine, until he has freed every single world of the Capellan March. (This has major political implications for the [[Federated Suns]]: For the first time in centuries, another prince is challenging the power of the First Prince of New Avalon.) The 2nd Ceti Hussars and the Light Guards head off for New Avalon, but they don't have enough [[DropShip]]s to transport all troops.
 
  
−
==See also==
+
===Consequences of War===
−
* [[Federated Suns#The FedCom Civil War|Federated Suns - FedCom Civil War]]
+
The immediate consequences of the war were the definitive rupture of the Commonwealth, widespread destruction, and significant attrition of the belligerent militaries. The former Commonwealth was devastated, as the conflict touched hundreds of worlds, with conservative estimates indicating that 80% of FedCom worlds experienced fighting. Tens of millions died, and damage was in the tens of trillions of C-bills. Over three-quarters of the military forces of both the Lyran Alliance and Federated Suns were involved in the fighting, and few suffered minor casualties. During the conflict two entire generations of soldiers were effectively sacrificed.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 179</ref> The far reaching consequences, however, were much more devastating: the damage suffered by the two kingdoms caused their new leaders to choose to leave the Second Star League, dissolving it, which triggered the Blakist orbital bombardment of Tharkad, the earliest stage of [[Word of Blake Jihad]].
−
* [[Lyran Alliance#FedCom Civil War|Lyran Alliance - FedCom Civil War]]
 
  
 +
==Images==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Operation_Flashpoint_(5).jpg|Robinson's bombing and death of Arthur Steiner-Davion.
 +
Vangergiff vs Searcy.jpg|thumb|right|Vandergriff & Searcy first fight, beginning of Solaris riots.
 +
</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />
−
 
  
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
−
* ''[[Call of Duty]]''
+
* ''[[Call of Duty]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[The Dying Time]]''
+
* ''[[The Dying Time]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Flashpoint]]''
+
* ''[[Endgame]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Imminent Crisis]]''
+
* ''[[FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)|FedCom Civil War]]''
−
* ''[[Measure of a Hero]]''
+
* ''[[Flashpoint (novel)|Flashpoint]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Operation Audacity]]''
+
* ''[[Illusions of Victory]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Patriots and Tyrants]]''
+
* ''[[Imminent Crisis]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]''
+
* ''[[Measure of a Hero]]'' (novel)
−
* ''[[Storms of Fate]]''
+
* ''[[Operation Audacity]]'' (novel)
 +
* ''[[Patriots and Tyrants]]'' (novel)
 +
* ''[[Prince of Havoc]]'' (novel)
 +
* ''[[Storms of Fate]]'' (novel)
  
  
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[[Category:Events]]
+
[[Category:Wars|FedCom Civil War]]
 +
[[Category:Rebellions]]

Latest revision as of 20:10, 6 February 2024

This article is about the fictional event. For the sourcebook on the subject, see FedCom Civil War (sourcebook).


FedCom Civil War
Part of FedCom Civil War era
Start Date 16 November 3062
End Date 20 April 3067
Result Katherine Steiner-Davion ousted from power
Factions
Allies Loyalists
Commanders and leaders
Victor Steiner-Davion Katherine Steiner-Davion
Environment
Varied
Conditions
Varied
“ The last thing the Successor States need is a plague of Davions hungry for conquest! ”
“ Consider this though. Many sons could mean a division of the Federated Suns. You have seen it before. The destruction that comes when brother pits himself against brother can shred an empire that no outside force has ever been able to dent. ”
  — Maximilian Liao and Justin Allard at Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner's wedding in 3028

The Federated Commonwealth Civil War (otherwise known as the FedCom Civil War or abbreviated FCCW) was one of the most devastating wars to take place in the Inner Sphere. It lasted from 3062 until 3067 and destroyed hundreds of regiments from both of the former Federated Commonwealth states, namely the Federated Suns and Lyran Alliance. In addition to these two primary combatants, many others were also involved in the Civil War. The Draconis Combine and Free Worlds League were dragged into the fighting, the Capellan Confederation and Clan Jade Falcon took advantage of the situation to gain territory at the expense of the two warring states, and numerous mercenary units took part in the conflict on both sides.

The very nature and scope of this conflict make it difficult to summarize. This was not a traditional war with waves and fronts. Rather, fighting tended to break out between garrisoned units assigned to the same world, often resulting in extended fighting with neither side emerging as the undisputed victor. In some cases, reinforcements were sent to help capture important worlds (as was the case with Tikonov, Kathil, and Dalkeith), only to find that the other side had done the same, creating "meat grinders" as neither side was able to secure an advantage for any length of time. In a few cases, military leaders like Victor Steiner-Davion, Maria Esteban, and Tancred Sandoval were able to assemble task forces from the few units that were not embroiled in the conflict, but these were usually employed to take a single objective rather than create a military front. Even in areas where there were no line units, fighting still took place between local militias, though these events often went undocumented.

Combatants[edit]

The main combatants of the conflict were units loyal to either Victor Steiner-Davion, known as Allies or to Katherine Steiner-Davion, known as Loyalists. Besides causing rifts in frontline and militia units, the intelligence agencies of both states were also torn apart by internal conflicts.

Many units and planets did not support either faction, but used the fighting as an excuse to further their own goals, such as the rebellion in the Isle of Skye. Others simply declared their neutrality in the conflict, but since this action involved disobeying orders given by Katherine Steiner-Davion, they were often attacked by pro-Katherine groups who saw their lack of commitment as treasonous and eventually forced to declare themselves as Allies. One such neutral party was the entirety of the Capellan March.

  • Various mercenary units were drawn into this war and many were destroyed.
  • The Draconis Combine became involved in the FedCom Civil War when renegade Draconis March units launched attacks against Kuritan territories between 3063 and 3065.
  • The Capellan Confederation used the war to its advantage by first allying with Victor and then betraying him by conquering Tikonov in 3067.
  • The Taurian Concordat destroyed a regiment of the Fighting Urukhai that entered its territory without permission while fleeing from the war in 3065.
  • The Free Worlds League was almost dragged into the war when its mercenary unit Kristen's Krushers was attacked by Lyran forces in 3063.
  • Clan Jade Falcon attacked the Lyran Alliance in 3064 to test its troops against the supposedly battle-hardened Lyrans.
Fedcom Civil War 1 (Fedcom Civil War, Sourcebook).png

Reasons for the War[edit]

Genesis[edit]

The origin of the FedCom Civil War lies in the peace proposal that Archon Katrina Steiner circulated to her fellow House lords in the mid-3020s. Only Prince Hanse Davion showed any interest, resulting in the Federated Commonwealth Alliance. This alliance came with a secret provision that betrothed Hanse to Archon-Designate Melissa Steiner, a union that would eventually produce a united nation in the person of their child. That child, Victor Steiner-Davion, was born in 3030. The two nations informally merged after Katrina's abdication in 3039, and their armed forces became more unified after the aborted War of 3039.

Victor, as the eldest child, stood poised to take over both nations from his parents after their deaths, but his next eldest sibling, Katherine, schemed to take control. It was she who had had their mother Melissa assassinated in 3055, three years after their father's death, making Victor Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth. She further manipulated events by playing up her Lyran nationalism, often leaving the "Davion" off of her surname, and took to referring to herself as "Katrina," after her maternal grandmother. These small actions paid dividends after the Second Skye Revolt, when Victor permanently moved his court to New Avalon, leaving Katherine as his regent on Tharkad. Katherine took advantage of the Liao-Marik Invasion of 3057 by invoking Emergency War Powers and seceding the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth from her brother's realm and recalling all traditionally Lyran units to within traditional borders. In doing so she gave Marik his objective, causing him to end his offensive. This situation led to the creation of the Chaos March and forever sundered the Federated Commonwealth. Katherine called her new nation the Lyran Alliance, as she claimed that her brother had forever sullied the term "Commonwealth."

Victor initially made no moves to reclaim his territory. As a result, when he prosecuted the reborn Star League's war against Clan Smoke Jaguar, he left the Commonwealth open to Katherine. She manipulated their younger sister Yvonne into giving her the regency of the Commonwealth. When Victor returned from Clan space in 3060, he came back to the Inner Sphere a leader without a nation. At the time, Victor refused offers of support to reclaim his throne and instead succeeded Anastasius Focht as the Precentor Martial of ComStar. He used the role to vote against Katherine's attempt to become the First Lord of the Star League in 3061, leading to her losing the election but otherwise made no attempt to move against her. Regardless, the nature of the Katherine's assumption of power and Victor's return had the effect of slowly polarizing the populace in the Federated Commonwealth.

Ignition[edit]

Katherine had an unscrupulous style of government. This led to small battles on various worlds for three main reasons:

  • When a local political leader was deemed dissenting or disloyal, Katherine punished his or her whole planet with economic sanctions, such as rerouting shipments of luxury goods. This led to civil unrest, sometimes against the political leaders of the respective planets and sometimes against inner or outer enemies, or even herself.
  • Katherine also regularly bypassed the military chain of command and gave direct orders to units, creating confusion and encouraging cronyism. Additionally her orders were often so vague that the commanding officers only partially understood what she desired. As a result, should anything go wrong they would inevitably be blamed for the failure. These units were used to restore order on the aforementioned rebellious planets and to secure worlds with important installations. One such planet was Kathil, with its shipyards being the primary objective. The two chains of command collided, sharp words were traded, and each side considered the other as traitors. In the end, open warfare was inevitable.
  • The third reason was Katherine's preferential treatment of Lyran interests. Despite being the head of both houses and states, she purported to be neutral between the cultures and populations. However she openly favored Lyran interests and military units. This often led to silent dissatisfaction and sometimes outright demonstrations. When local police and military units tried to contain the problems, they inevitably became far worse. One such example is Thorin, where Archer Christifori's sister wrote newspaper articles about this unfair behavior. She was accidentally shot and when her killer used his political connections to the Lyran military to avoid prison, Archer started his rebellion.

All of these events occurred in isolation, but like an avalanche the battles infested other planets and other minds.

Victor viewed the scattered conflicts as a direct result of his sister's lies and manipulations and was confident that she would be dethroned one day. Arthur Steiner-Davion was apparently assassinated, and Victor openly blamed Katherine for his death. Laying aside his new post as Precentor Martial, Victor jumped directly into the conflict. The leaders of the various rebellions immediately accepted him as an ally or even as their commander.

History[edit]

The First Sparks[edit]

In retrospect, since the first moment Katherine seceded the Alliance from the Commonwealth, the war became inevitable. The majority of the old Federated Suns population and its nobility never forgave or forgot her actions. Katherine's inclination for her Steiner side almost erased her Davion half in the eyes of the people. Her constant manipulation and marginalization of the military that served under Victor's flag further degraded her support among the people of the Federated Suns. Some nobles, most notably George Hasek and Eric Dresari from Kentares IV, never accepted her as Archon-Princess. The first spark of the war started on the Game World Solaris, and the second, Kathil.

Solaris Riots[edit]

See also: Illusions of Victory

Solaris is, in many ways, a mirror of the Inner Sphere, and what happens outside reflects inside, so it is not surprising that the war started there. The ComStar garrison on the planet had been transferred away on Katherine's orders, most likely because she believed it was loyal to her brother. The tensions on the planet between the Lyran and Federated Suns stadiums grew louder and louder. The fight between stables, each loyal to one side or the other, sometimes ended in brawls and even deaths. The hatred between the two sides grew daily, often leading to flashes of violence in the streets. On August 15, 3062, the fight transformed into an open war. The two factions' quasi-champions, Michael Searcy from Davion and Victor Vandergriff from Steiner, fought their championship match in the Steiner Stadium. During the bout saboteurs breached the arena walls and their battle spilled out into the streets. Soon the other factions, Liao, Marik, and Combine, joined the fighting as well. In a matter of hours half of the city was a battlefield. Other conflicts boiled over as well, such as the feud between a group of Smoke Jaguar gladiators and the Draconis Combine for the annihilation of their Clan. Katherine attempted to contain the situation, sending the 32nd Lyran Guards to act as peacekeepers, but this operation failed miserably. Her forces were defeated by the Davion loyalists and their commanding officer was killed. It was not until Searcy and Vandergriff resumed their duel in the Steiner Stadium, ending in their apparent mutual annihilation (Michael later was found to have survived) that the fighting began to dissipate. Though war was not officially declared until months later, it may be said the riots of Solaris were the first battle of the war.

Kathil[edit]

See also: Flashpoint (novel)

Kathil, the system renowned for having the best shipyards in the Federated Commonwealth, was the place where the second spark ignited. Katherine understood the crucial importance of the war fleet, and WarShips were almost exclusively built in this system. The new Avalon class of ships was in production, and as Kathil was part of the Capellan March (a territory under the command of George Hasek, who didn't accept her as his ruler), she took measures to ensure the control of the new WarShips and the planet. One measure was to assign at least one Lyran naval officer in every new WarShip, and another, to keep an extra "garrison" on the planet. This garrison, the Eight Regimental Combat Team, received orders from her to stay on the planet, ignoring direct orders by Duke Hasek to move to another system. The situation was aggravated when the leader of the Eighth, General Weintraub ignored direct orders from the Duke of Kathil, Petyr VanLees. Frustrated, Duke Hasek bought back the First Capellan Dragoons regiment his father had sold. Fighting erupted upon their arrival in-system. The materially inferior forces of the local Kathil Militia, with a cadre of NAIS, managed to defeat the 8th RCT and secured Kathil for Duke Hasek, and—indirectly—for Victor Davion. Some hopes arose that this battle would signal the end of the conflict, but they were thwarted: shortly after, upon the assassination of his brother Arthur, Victor Davion ignited the real war.

Kentares[edit]

Kentares IV, the site of the infamous Kentares Massacre, was another of the early battlefields and sources of the war's ignition. Eric Dresari, its duke, was one of the strongest opponents to Katherine. He publicly called her a despot and usurper, refusing to acknowledge her as his first Prince. The reaction of Katherine, who probably feared the popularity of Eric, was swift. She sent to Kentares a combat command of the Fifth Donegal Guards under the command of Lord Marcus Roland, to garrison Kentares, ordering him to suppress the anti-Steiner movement by "any means are necessary". And Roland, a brutal, ambitious man, did just that. As the protests against Steiner occupation grew, he ordered his forces to kill hundreds of the protestors, and later assault the Ducal palace, capturing the Dresari family and executing them all. But their victory was short-lived: Eric's brother and son, Peter Dresari and Ian Dresari returned to Kentares and began a guerrilla campaign, ultimately defeating the Steiner forces and retaking the planet. This campaign is shown in the apocryphal game MechWarrior 4: Vengeance.

The Civil War[edit]

Fedcom Civil War 2 (Fedcom Civil War, Sourcebook).png

Early Stages: 3062-3063[edit]

Upon hearing of his brother's death, Prince Victor gathered his loyal forces on the world of Mogyorod and immediately drafted up a plan to take the key infrastructure of the Commonwealth intact. He jumped from Mogyorod to the planet Newtown Square, where he was almost killed by the Lyran troops until rogue Com Guard forces loyal to Prince Victor in his position as Precentor Martial landed on the planet. Victor allowed the Lyran forces (commanded by his cousin Adam Steiner) to retreat. With the new troops in hand, Prince Victor moved against the planet of Coventry, one of the greatest production sites for military supplies and 'Mechs in the entire Lyran Alliance. Additionally the Duke of Coventry was a vocal critic of Katherine who was forced underground in order to evade capture and imprisonment. After a few weeks of limited fighting, Victor's forces captured the planet and its factories intact, which he used to refit his weary personal units.

Coinciding with Victor's march on Coventry was the breakout of major rebellions on the planets Muphrid and Thorin in the Lyran Alliance. Sparked by the accidental shooting of the sister of Archer Christifori, the Thorin militia revolted and conducted a successful guerrilla campaign that dislodged the garrisoning regiment. Prince Victor offered Christifori's forces status as regular troops, and agreed to refit many of Christifori's worn-out 'Mechs. The newly promoted General Christifori, his ranks swelled to two regiments, began a campaign of liberation against planetary rulers accused of oppressing Davion supporters all across the Alliance. This was noticed by LAAF High Command, however, and a plan was drafted to destroy Christifori's unit.

On the planet of Odessa, the ruling Count was told to begin a program of cracking down on dissenters. It was hoped that Christifori would land on the planet and try to destroy the Lyran forces on-planet. Coinciding with the plan, the elite mercenary unit Snord's Irregulars was on-planet pending the signing of a new contract with the Lyran Alliance. A trap was planned to set the two sides against each other, which would fulfil the Lyran goals of destroying Christifori and shaming the Irregulars into signing a new contract. Both units fought hard and suffered heavy losses until evidence of the plan was discovered. The Irregulars and Christifori joined forces and destroyed the other Lyran mercenaries on the planet and captured Odessa. The Irregulars still declined to sign a contract with Prince Victor, though Christifori proposed another idea to keep Snord's Irregulars from rejoining the Alliance. He offered them a contract with ComStar, guarding a planet right next to the border against Clan Jade Falcon.

Realizing that her public opinion was dropping even amongst her normally loyal Lyran subjects, Archon Katherine quietly ordered the elimination of the popular, bizarre and extremely critical artist Reginald Starling. Reginald Starling was the pseudonym of Sven Newmark, one of Ryan Steiner's former top aides and (except Katherine herself) the only living person who knew that Katherine had ordered the assassination of her mother. Her Loki agents assassinated Starling, but he left evidence for his lover (a secret agent working for Victor) that ultimately led her to proof of Katherine's vile actions. However, this evidence was deemed not definitive enough to sway Katherine's supporters, so the agent came up with a plan to pretend that Reginald Starling was still alive and underground. Victor hoped this would cause a nervous Katherine to attempt to destroy further evidence, leading Victor's agents directly to it.

Middle Stages: 3064-3065[edit]

The main theaters of the war were concentrated around the main manufacturing planets of both the Alliance and the Suns. The fighting on planets such as Kathil became veritable meat grinders for both sides, chewing up any units sent into the fray. Victor's conquering armies swept through the Lyran Alliance, taking many worlds from Katherine's followers. However, Victor's leadership was almost cut short by a near defeat of his forces on Halfway which left his forces badly battered. General Maria Esteban's combat force (formed by regular units and militias) had set up a trap.

Victor stepped back from the fighting, to join the next Whitting Conference on Marik. He successfully persuaded Thomas Marik, head of the Free Worlds League, that Katherine was a very dangerous person. Thomas allowed Victor's participation under one condition: That he would only speak out, if Katherine herself brought up the topic of the FedCom Civil War. Sun-Tzu Liao followed his agreement with Katherine in an unexpected manner, as he abstained from the vote for the next Lord of the Star League. She indeed brought up the FedCom Civil War and tried to present herself as willing to negotiate with Victor, thus portraying herself as a caring goodhearted diplomat and Victor as a warmonger. At this point Victor demanded to be heard and Thomas Marik granted his wish. Victor stated that Katherine had killed their mother, but that he had no hard evidence, just like Katherine had no hard evidence for her misrepresentations of Victor. Eventually Katherine was not elected but she had her revenge as well. She hired an assassin who killed Omi Kurita, the love of Victor, to break his spirit. Upon hearing the news of his success, Victor had a nervous breakdown and suffered from depression for almost a year.

The offensive of Victor's combat group (which had conquered the heavy industrialized planet Tikonov in a surprise attack) came to a standstill and they returned to Thorin and Muphrid. Only with the help of Kai Allard-Liao and Isis Marik was Victor convinced to refocus on the present. His combat group finally returned to Tikonov, reinforcing his troops.

On the Suns front, Archon Katherine was wary that Duke George Hasek, son of the late Marshal of the Armies Morgan Hasek-Davion, would someday challenge her rule. He tried to stay neutral between Victor and Katherine, though he secretly backed Victor, but that was not enough for her. She finally freed up enough forces from various conflicts to be able to send three regiments to the Capellan March capital of New Syrtis. The leader of the March rallied his troops however, and, in months of bitter fighting, drove off the invading units from his capital world. Reinforcements loyal to Victor arrived, but the enemy was already beaten. Ardan Sortek tried to persuade Hasek to support Victor, but he declined. George wanted to keep most of his troops within the Capellan March to guard against Capellan aggression.

The Jade Falcon Offensive[edit]

In 3064, Khan Marthe Pryde wanted to test the newest generation of Clan Jade Falcon's warriors against Lyran forces. She started a full-scale invasion with several Galaxies against heavily guarded planets along the whole border. Later it turned out that she also had wanted to open a new route to Terra, unguarded by the Com Guards, by conquering the planet Rasalgethi.

Both Loyalists and Allies combined their forces to turn back the Falcons.

Sharon Bryan, the commander of the Melissia Theater, had a plan to lure the Clan forces into attacking Melissia, where they should break on the fortress and the defending regiments "like a wave breaks on a shore." General Adam Steiner knew that this strategy had long been proved fatal against the Clans and pestered Sharon Bryan until she allowed him to draw up a reserve plan. Khan Marthe Pryde attacked personally with the Turkina Keshik, Delta Galaxy and Omega Galaxy. She crushed the defenders which only narrowly escaped from the planet. After this, major resistance in the Melissia Theater was broken. Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion sent a letter promoting Adam Steiner to the commander of the Melissia Theater, but still sent no reinforcements.

Archer Christifori united his forces with a reluctant Adam Steiner, who finally agreed to a twofold plan. Rather than just defending Alliance planets, they would attack Jade Falcon planets as well, forcing the Clan forces to retreat.

Christifori and Steiner conquered several planets in the Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, though they suffered heavy losses. On Twycross, a planet which had seen a historic defeat, Christifori challenged the Falcon Guards, one of the most prestigious units of Clan Jade Falcon. He wanted to humiliate them by beating them in honorable combat. However a lazy Tech wreaked doom on Clan Jade Falcon. A technical flaw caused Star Colonel Ravill Pryde to accidentally break zellbrigen, leaving the Falcon Guards victim to the superior firepower of Christifori's troops.

In the meantime, Clan Wolf-in-Exile kept reconquering worlds the Jade Falcons had deemed safe. They defeated the Jade Falcons in every instance, taking warriors and 'Mechs as isorla. They even liberated Melissia for the Alliance.

Several Jade Falcon units started their own Trial of Annihilation, without approval by Khan Marthe Pryde, against Christifori's forces to wipe out their Clan's shame. This fighting went on for a few weeks until Marthe Pryde called a ceasefire. Both sides met on Blair Atholl, where no clear victor was in sight. Adam Steiner negotiated a ceasefire agreement with Marthe Pryde. Each side kept the planets it had conquered. As a result, the Jade Falcons controlled more worlds than they started out with, although they were in a strategically unsound position. Blair Atholl would remain jointly held. As long as Adam Steiner would send troops to Blair Atholl as sparring partners for the Jade Falcons, there would be no need for them to attack Lyran worlds.

Adam, now not only the commander of the Melissia Theater, but also a popular hero among its soldiers and populations, sent a strongly worded letter to Katherine Steiner-Davion. He declared that he was heavily disappointed that it took rebels and outlaws to save her nation because she did not send reinforcements. Due to her incompetence, he declared the Melissia Theater neutral in the conflict between her and her brother. For the rest of the civil war, units of neither side were allowed to stay in the Melissia Theater.

Late Stages: 3066-3067[edit]

By 3066, the war had become more of a battle of attrition across both of the afflicted realms, as Prince Victor's forces advanced against Archon Katherine's Lyran troops, and began to plan attacks on the respective capitals of both of the realms. It was decided that Victor himself would lead the attack on the Davion capital world of New Avalon, where Katherine and seven regiments of elite loyalist troops awaited the inevitable assault on the capital world. While Victor was tempted to just go for the kill with all of his available forces, he and his advisers realized that the conflict could not end until Nondi Steiner was defeated on Tharkad. They needed a political figurehead, someone Victor could trust that would be accepted by the Lyran people. Morgan Kell went to the desert planet Zaniah III in early 3067, where Peter Steiner-Davion was hiding, living among monks. He wanted to stay out of the cruel political games that were so common in the Inner Sphere. But in the end, Morgan Kell persuaded Peter that he had to return for the good of the Lyran people.

In early 3067, the attack on New Avalon commenced, with Prince Victor leading a gigantic assault force to the planet. After a long and costly WarShip battle above the skies of New Avalon, Victor's forces emerged triumphant and landed on the planet, joining with a task force already there under the command of Field Marshal Tancred Sandoval. The fighting commenced immediately upon landing and continued for several grueling months against Katherine's elite troops. Victor's forces, although nearly losing at one point, were bolstered by veteran troops (the Davion Light Guards and others) brought to New Avalon by Ardan Sortek. Those reinforcements pushed back Katherine's forces until they finally reached the Davion Palace. Katherine waited too long to flee and in the end Victor's forces blocked all escape routes. Confident that she would find a way to talk herself out of this situation in any court, Katherine ordered the surrender of her forces through former Marshal of the Armies Jackson Davion. On April 20th, 3067, the Second Battle of New Avalon ended in victory for Allied forces under Victor Steiner-Davion.

Simultaneously, Prince Peter arrived on Tharkad along with troops representing the whole spectrum of the Lyran Alliance, including regular units, Skye loyalists, the Kell Hounds, and forces of Clan Wolf in Exile. Peter not only battled for a planet, he tried to truly represent the Lyran Alliance to the population of Tharkad. Accordingly, the Avalon Hussar regiment in his combat group never saw battle. They successfully pushed back Nondi Steiner's forces until they reached the Tharkad palace. There, in an urban area, Peter and Nondi Steiner met in a direct fight, where he killed her with a shot to the cockpit on April 2nd, 3067.

With Katherine's surrender to Victor's forces on New Avalon, and Peter taking control of Tharkad, the FedCom Civil War had come to an end.

Aftermath[edit]

It was expected that Prince Victor would take over both of the realms again to rule as the Archon-Prince of the reunited Federated Commonwealth. Subsequently, it came as a great shock when Prince Victor abdicated the thrones of both of those realms, instead giving them to his siblings Peter and Yvonne to rule in his place.

Peace and order were restored. Only minor battles remained, with commanders loyal to Katherine unwilling to give up.

Initially, Katherine was to be interred in a palatial prison under the wary eyes of the exiled Wolves. But then Khan Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf showed up on Arc-Royal. He demanded the extradition of Katherine to Clan Wolf, knowing that reeducating her as a Clan Warrior was the only way she would finally understand his motivations. He threatened the assembled leaders with a renewed offensive (the Truce of Tukayyid having expired one month prior to the conference) unless he got his way. Victor complied, and handed over Katherine to Clan Wolf.

Victor was allowed to resume his role as the Precentor Martial of ComStar, on the condition that he would never again interfere with political decisions of the Inner Sphere.

Periphery Concerns[edit]

One unintended side effect was the increased presence of raids by Nueva Castilian forces along the Lyran Alliance border.[1] The formation of the Fronc Reaches was also a result of the Taurian Concordat's fear that the Federated Commonwealth would use a war with the Concordat to rejoin both halves of the Commonwealth.[2] Several FedSuns companies based in the Outworlds Alliance had to withdraw due to the confusion of the Civil War.[3] Despite this, many FedSuns companies continued to do business with the Alliance, stimulating that realm's economy.[4] At the same time the Alliance welcomed new immigrants who sought a peaceful existence after the chaos of the Civil War.[5] The Rim Collection also found its trade with the Lyran Alliance cut down by the activities of the Civil War as transport ships became rarer.[6]

Consequences of War[edit]

The immediate consequences of the war were the definitive rupture of the Commonwealth, widespread destruction, and significant attrition of the belligerent militaries. The former Commonwealth was devastated, as the conflict touched hundreds of worlds, with conservative estimates indicating that 80% of FedCom worlds experienced fighting. Tens of millions died, and damage was in the tens of trillions of C-bills. Over three-quarters of the military forces of both the Lyran Alliance and Federated Suns were involved in the fighting, and few suffered minor casualties. During the conflict two entire generations of soldiers were effectively sacrificed.[7] The far reaching consequences, however, were much more devastating: the damage suffered by the two kingdoms caused their new leaders to choose to leave the Second Star League, dissolving it, which triggered the Blakist orbital bombardment of Tharkad, the earliest stage of Word of Blake Jihad.

Images[edit]

  • Robinson's bombing and death of Arthur Steiner-Davion.

  • Vandergriff & Searcy first fight, beginning of Solaris riots.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 11
  2. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, pp. 65–66
  3. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 71
  4. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 142
  5. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 149
  6. ↑ Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 175
  7. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 179

Bibliography[edit]

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